Genomes and Databases

The massive investment in genome sequencing in recent years has provided an ever-increasing resource of information for biologists. Comparative analysis of gene sequences reveals the evolutionary relatedness of organisms and predicts functions for hitherto unknown genes. Among the bryophytes, the moss Physcomitrella patens has been the focus of intensive gene discovery (EST) programmes in both the public and private sectors. Using simple bioinformatic tools combined with powerful PCR amplification techniques, we can readily identify the transcripts of genes homologous with those known to regulate selected functions in other model species and use this information to clone the corresponding moss genes to probe their function in gene targeting experiments. Elucidation of the functions of genes in an organism occupying a basal position in the plant phylogeny will enable us to gain insights into how diverse groups of plants have recruited particular subsets of genes to participate in functions specific to their nature, during the course of evolution. In this chapter we provide some examples of how the public access databases may be used to undertake such tasks, and outline the challenges that lie ahead for the global community of molecular bryologists.