Update on the Maize Genome Sequencing Project The Maize Genome Sequencing Project

On September 20, 2002, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the launch of the Maize Genome Sequencing Project. The momentum for this endeavor has been building within the maize (Zea mays) genetics and larger plant science community for several years. Reasons for launching a concerted effort at this time are at least 4-fold. First, advances in DNA sequencing technology now allow faster sequencing at a lower cost than in the past. Second, new high-resolution, high-throughput DNA fingerprinting methods should yield a minimum clone set colinear with the genetic map of the maize genome. Third, promising approaches to preparing fractions of the maize genome enriched for genes have been developed. Fourth, comparative analyses of maize with rice (Oryza sativa) or Arabidopsis suggest that the genome sequences of these two species will not be sufficient to understand the precise details of maize gene content and expression. This Update reviews the project goals and the expected deliverables deriving from the two funded consortia.