IC4R001-Genome-2002-11935017

Project Title

A Draft Sequence of the Rice Genome ( Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica )

The Background of This Project

• Rice is the most important crop for human consumption, providing staple food for more than half the world’s population. The euchromatic portion of the rice genome is estimated to be 430 Mb in size (1–3), which is the smallest of the cereal crops. It is 3.7 times larger than that of A. thaliana (4–6), and 6.7 times smaller than that of the human (7, 8). The well-established protocols for high-efficiency genetic transformation, widespread availability of high-density genetic and physical maps (9, 10), and high degrees of synteny among cereal gegenomes (11–15) combine to make rice a unique organism for studying the physiology, developmental biology, genetics, and evolution of plants.
• The International Rice Genome Sequencing Project (IRGSP) (16) has already delivered a substantial amount of sequence for the japonica (Nip-

ponbare) subspecies, in bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and P1-derived artificial chromosome (PAC)–sized contigs. Working independently, Monsanto and Syngenta (17, 18) established proprietary working drafts for japonica, in April 2000 and February 2001, respectively. The Monsanto sequence has been used to assist in the efforts of the IRGSP.

• In this study We are releasing a draft genome sequence for rice from 93-11 (19), which is a cultivar of Oryza sativa L. ssp. indica, the major rice subspecies grown in China and many other Asia-Pacific regions.