P0726 The Camelina sativa Genome Project: An Emerging Stress-Tolerant Biofuel Seed Crop in the Brassicaeae

Josh Herr , Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Charles Addo-Quaye , Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Donghwan Shim , Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Juyoung Kim , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Saet Buyl Lee , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Ji Eun Lee , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Hyojin Kim , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Anh Nguyen Quynh , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
K. Arumuganathan , Virginia Mason Research Center, Seattle, WA
Mi Chung Suh , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Sung Ju Ahn , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Jungmook Kim , Chonnam National University, Gwangju, South Korea
Kyung-Hwan Han , Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Chandrashekhar Joshi , Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Sheng Luan , University of California - Berkeley, CA, Berkeley, CA
John E. Carlson , Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Camelina sativa is a stress tolerant oil seed crop, closely related to Canola (Brassica napus) and the Arabidopsis lineage, and a member of the economically important Brassicaeae.  Camelina is an optimal biofuel crop for numerous reasons: it is productive on nutrient limited soils; it is tolerant of drought, cold, and high soil salinity; it has a fast generation time which allows for multiple harvests per growing season; and its seed weight per plant size ratio is the highest of all oil crops.  High levels of eicosenoic acid have kept Camelina from being rigorously studied for human and animal consumption, but it is this trait, along with exceptionally high levels of C18 omega-3 fatty acids that are optimal for bio-diesel production.  To aid in the development of Camelina sativa breeding and agriculture, we have produced a draft genome based on USDA GRIN accession PI 650140 seed (“CAME” cultivar).  Using the Illumina Genome Analyzer IIx platform, we generated 18.3 Gb of genomic and 16.4 Gb transcriptional data, approximately 40X genome coverage, from various Camelina tissues, including leaf, stem, and seed.  From estimated genome size, our preliminary genome assembly, and phylogenetic analyses of key pathway genes, it appears that the allohexaploid genome of Camelina is approximately three times the size of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome.  The Camelina genome will also add to the growing resources of plant genomes in the Brassicaeae model plant family.  This project is supported by the World Class University Project R31-2009-000-20025-0 funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of Korea.
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