Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth, Wales SY23 3DA, UK.
Department of Agriculture, University of Zaragoza, High Polytechnic School of Huesca, Ctra. Cuarte km 1, ES-22071 Huesca, Spain.
New Phytol. 2011 Jul;191(2):334-347. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03748.x. Epub 2011 May 31.
It is now a decade since Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium) was suggested as a model species for temperate grasses and cereals. Since then transformation protocols, large expressed sequence tag (EST) databases, tools for forward and reverse genetic screens, highly refined cytogenetic probes, germplasm collections and, recently, a complete genome sequence have been generated. In this review, we will describe the current status of the Brachypodium Tool Box and how it is beginning to be applied to study a range of biological traits. Further, as genomic analysis of larger cereals and forage grasses genomes are becoming easier, we will re-evaluate Brachypodium as a model species. We suggest that there remains an urgent need to employ reverse genetic and functional genomic approaches to identify the functionality of key genetic elements, which could be employed subsequently in plant breeding programmes; and a requirement for a Pooideae reference genome to aid assembling large pooid genomes. Brachypodium is an ideal system for functional genomic studies, because of its easy growth requirements, small physical stature, and rapid life cycle, coupled with the resources offered by the Brachypodium Tool Box.
自短柄草（Brachypodium）被提议作为温带禾本科和谷类的模式物种以来，已经过去了十年。此后，转化方案、大量表达序列标签（EST）数据库、正向和反向遗传筛选工具、高度精细化的细胞遗传学探针、种质资源收集以及最近的完整基因组序列已经生成。在这篇综述中，我们将描述短柄草工具包的现状，以及它如何开始应用于研究一系列生物学特征。此外，随着更大的谷类和饲料草基因组的基因组分析变得更加容易，我们将重新评估短柄草作为模式物种的地位。我们认为，仍然迫切需要采用反向遗传学和功能基因组学方法来确定关键遗传元件的功能，这些元件随后可以应用于植物育种计划；并且需要一个 Poaeae 参考基因组来帮助组装大型 Pooid 基因组。短柄草是功能基因组学研究的理想系统，因为它的生长要求简单、体型小、生命周期短，再加上短柄草工具包提供的资源。
