NSF Org:	MCB Div Of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience
Recipient:	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
Initial Amendment Date:	March 9, 2001
Latest Amendment Date:	June 10, 2002
Award Number:	0092815
Award Instrument:	Continuing Grant
Program Manager:	Patrick P. Dennis MCB  Div Of Molecular and Cellular Bioscience BIO  Direct For Biological Sciences
Start Date:	March 15, 2001
End Date:	August 31, 2003 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$849,412.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$859,412.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2001 = $606,114.00 FY 2002 = $253,298.00
History of Investigator:	Maynard Olson (Principal Investigator) mvo@u.washington.edu Milton Gordon (Co-Principal Investigator) Eugene Nester (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	University of Washington 4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE SEATTLE WA  US  98195-1016 (206)543-4043
Sponsor Congressional District:	07
Primary Place of Performance:	University of Washington 4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE SEATTLE WA  US  98195-1016
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	07
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	HD1WMN6945W6
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	MICROBIAL GENETICS, Plant Genome Research Project
Primary Program Source:	01000102DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT app-0102
Program Reference Code(s):	1329, 9109, 9178, 9251, BIOT, SMET
Program Element Code(s):	115600, 132900
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.074

ABSTRACT

The goal of this project is to produce an accurate, contiguous, well annotated genome sequence for the most commonly used laboratory strain of the bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The overall project involves a partnership between investigators at the University of Washington and the DuPont Company, although all funded activities will be carried out at the University of Washington. DuPont scientists will have produced a rough-draft sequence of the genome at the start of the project. The University of Washington investigators will convert this rough draft to a finished sequence, which will be publicly released starting early in the project and deposited into GenBank once the project is complete. A. tumefaciens is of central interest in basic plant biology and in agricultural biotechnology because of its ability to transfer DNA from a bacterial plasmid into the nuclear genome of diverse plant species. Most genetic engineering of plants depends on this natural DNA-transfer mechanism. Aspects of this mechanism are well understood after several decades of analysis of the bacterial plasmid that contains the transferred segment of DNA. However, relatively little is known about the roles of non-plasmid genes scattered throughout the remainder of the A. tumefaciens genome in plant pathogenesis and DNA transfer. The genome sequence will allow identification of all A. tumefaciens genes. During genome annotation, it will be possible to assign tentative functions to a majority of these genes by comparing their sequences with the sequences of all bacterial genes of known function. Hence, the annotation of the genome is likely to provide immediate insights into the genetic basis of A. tumafaciens' remarkable ability to transfer DNA and proteins into plant cells. In addition, the genome-sequence data will lay the groundwork for subsequent systematic studies designed to establish the functions even of the many genes for which the initial computational analysis is uninformative. The data generated with this project will facilitate understanding of interactions between bacteria and both plant and animal host cells. They will also be of general interest in ongoing efforts to understand the interplay between genetic complexity, metabolic capabilities, and the functional characteristics of bacteria. A. tumefaciens is of special interest with respect to these issues because it has a large genome (5.9 Mbp), is a free-living organism with complex habitats including soil and plant tissues, and can sense and respond to chemical indicators of plant-tissue damage. Most early studies of bacterial genomes have focused on bacteria with small genomes that live in highly specialized environments. In contrast, analysis of the A. tumefaciens genome will provide insights into bacteria that have large genomes and live in environments that make up a substantial portion of the biosphere. Finally, the A. tumefaciens genome sequence will stimulate improvements in the genetic engineering of new strains with improved DNA-transfer characteristics, thereby stimulating both basic plant science and agricultural biotechnology.

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