Strawberry Genome Sequence Obtained By 75 Scientists From 38 Centers Worldwide

A massive international collaboration has resulted in the publication of the DNA sequence for the strawberry, authors wrote in the journal Nature Genetics. They add that the research will lead to superior, hardier and tastier varieties of strawberries, as well as other related fruits.


They sequenced a wild relative of the modern cultivated strawberry, called The Woodland Strawberry. It is less complex than cultivated berries, and thus easier for use in research. Even so, it is still genetically very similar to the strawberries we eat.


The Rosaceae family of flowering plants includes strawberries, raspberries, cherries, roses, almonds, plums, apples and peaches. They all share key traits. By sequencing the woodland strawberry's genome, scientists will be able to work on all fruits of the Rosaceae family.


Associate Professor, Kevin Folta, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, said:
"We've created the strawberry parts list. For every organism on the planet, if you're going to try any advanced research, such as molecular-assisted breeding, a parts list is really helpful. In the old days, we had to go out and figure out what the parts were. Now we know the molecular nuts and bolts that make up the strawberry plant."
Strawberry breeders will be able to bring new types to market more rapidly when they have the "parts list" in hand, the authors wrote. New plants may thrive better, farmers should have larger yields, and with less environmental impact.


Folta said:
"All of those dividends are probably at least a decade off, but they are definitely realities on the horticultural radar screen."
Project leader, Vladimir Shulaev, explains that now that we have the genome sequence, strawberry breeders can improve fruit quality, enhance its aroma, increase its phytochemicals content, and tweak with several of the fruit's complex traits.


Team member, molecular biologist Janet Slovin, said new berries may be designed which reach maturity more quickly or later, allowing for the strategic timing of getting goods to market.


Sloving added:
"That means if you're a grower, you can extend your growing season, get a better price per flat, and use your land more - and that's exactly what growers want."
The authors inform that no central funding occurred in this research. Researchers volunteered their own time and used parts of smaller grants to cover some of the costs.


Any scientist who wanted to play a role in the project was welcomed - it was an open access project, Folta added.


A method called "short-read sequencing" was used to sequence the strawberry genome - tiny pieces of DNA are sequenced separately, and then strung together using computer software.


Folta explained (referring to short-read sequencing):
"If you had the alphabet from A to Z, and someone gave you a piece that was A-B-C, and another piece was C-D-E-F, and another piece that was E-F-G-H, you could align all those using the common letters, and eventually develop the whole alphabet."
The advantage of the strawberry, unlike some other fruit in the Rosaceae family, such as the peach, is that it uses up very little space and has a quick turnaround.















Ted Campbell, of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, said that this latest genome-sequencing "is a very significant milestone" for strawberry farmers worldwide.


Team member, Todd Mockler, said:
"For fruit crops, and strawberry in particular, it will matter to farmers and ultimately, to consumers," he said. "It may mean better yields or pest resistance, improvements in shelf life and things like flavor, fragrance, taste and appearance. Having the genome sequence will enable all of that."
"The genome of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca)"

Vladimir Shulaev, Daniel J Sargent, Ross N Crowhurst, Todd C Mockler, Otto Folkerts, Arthur L Delcher, Pankaj Jaiswal, Keithanne Mockaitis, Aaron Liston, Shrinivasrao P Mane, Paul Burns, Thomas M Davis, Janet P Slovin, Nahla Bassil, Roger P Hellens, Clive Evans, Tim Harkins, Chinnappa Kodira, Brian Desany, Oswald R Crasta, Roderick V Jensen, Andrew C Allan, Todd P Michael, Joao Carlos Setubal, Jean-Marc Celton, D Jasper G Rees, Kelly P Williams, Sarah H Holt, Juan Jairo Ruiz Rojas, Mithu Chatterjee, Bo Liu, Herman Silva, Lee Meisel, Avital Adato, Sergei A Filichkin, Michela Troggio, Roberto Viola, Tia-Lynn Ashman, Hao Wang, Palitha Dharmawardhana, Justin Elser, Rajani Raja, Henry D Priest, Douglas W Bryant Jr, Samuel E Fox, Scott A Givan, Larry J Wilhelm, Sushma Naithani, Alan Christoffels, David Y Salama, ade Carter, Elena Lopez Girona, Anna Zdepski, Wenqin Wang, Randall A Kerstetter, Wilfried Schwab, Schuyler S Korban, ahn Davik, Amparo Monfort, Beatrice Denoyes-Rothan, Pere Arus, Ron Mittler, Barry Flinn, Asaph Aharoni, effrey L Bennetzen, Steven L Salzberg, Allan W Dickerman, Riccardo Velasco, Mark Borodovsky, Richard E Veilleux & Kevin M Folta et al.

Nature Genetics Year published: (2010) DOI: doi:10.1038/ng.740


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