Assembly and analysis of the miscanthus × giganteus transcriptome

Barling, Adam R.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/24444 Copy

Description

Title

Assembly and analysis of the miscanthus × giganteus transcriptome

Author(s)

Barling, Adam R.

Issue Date

2011-05-25T14:27:55Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Moose, Stephen P.

Department of Study

Crop Sciences

Discipline

Crop Sciences

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• Miscanthus
• Transcriptome
• Sequencing
• Biofuel
• Bioenergy

Abstract

Miscanthus × giganteus is a sterile triploid hybrid perennial grass that is asexually propagated through rhizome planting. The increasing desire to discover alternative energy sources has recently heightened interest in developing M. × giganteus as a biofuel due to, among other factors, its exceptionally large biomass yield. In this study, mRNA extractions from ten dissimilar M. × giganteus tissues were sequenced, generating over eighty-three million high-quality short paired-end reads. Reads were assembled into over sixty-one thousand contiguous sequences, creating a novel representation of the transcriptome for this prominent non-model organism. Active expression of the ESTs was subsequently analyzed by RNA-Seq on pre-existing Sorghum bicolor gene models in order to generate a series of expression profiles for the Miscanthus tissues sampled. This analysis aims to provide a means for the deeper understanding of M. × giganteus, with the hope that traits such as biomass accumulation, nutrient utilization, and tolerance of environmental stress can be more thoroughly identified and documented.

Graduation Semester

2011-05

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/24444

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2011 Adam R. Barling

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