The spread of genomics

Abstract

Once a very specialized area limited to a few model systems and well-equipped labs, genomics has become routine with sophisticated methods commercially available at manageable cost. Leveraging technologies developed for biomedical applications, plants and plant-associated organisms are experiencing a revolution in the characterization of their genomic ‘hardware’ (genes and genomes), ‘software’ (regulatory cues), and variation therein. Their experimental facility made plants an early model for dissection of complex traits into individual genetic components, initially in designed populations -- however economies of scale permit genome-wide scans in feral or natural populations, exemplified by a plant-associated organism, the honey bee ( Apis mellifera ). Similarly, massively parallel methods enable comprehensive study of genome-wide gene expression, documentation of spectra of genetic variation within and among gene pools, and composition of and interactions among ecosystem constituents. The ability to reach beyond controlled experimental crosses is exemplified by study of ‘Columbian Exchange’ taxa, in which genetic bottlenecks a few hundred generations ago still provide sufficient linkage disequilibrium for genome scans using current methods. Already permeating biomedicine, genomics may have even greater implications that are yet to be fully appreciated across life sciences, for example, documenting and deploying natural variation to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability.