Arabidopsis Microarray Service Facilities

Now that we know the complete sequence of the Arabidopsis genome, how can plant biologists most effectively use this 130 million-bp database to move toward fuller understanding of plants? Microarray technology is one of a collection of tools that can accelerate our transition from raw data toward broader understanding. It is clear that knowing a gene sequence often does not tell us its function. In fact, more than 30% of the approximately 25,000 genes of Arabidopsis show no homology to genes of known or hypothesized function. Thousands of additional genes are only identified as members of classes such as protein kinases or transcription factors, but no information is available about their specific roles. The knowledge that there are 6,000 to 10,000 plant genes with functions still to be discovered helps to define our level of ignorance and challenges us to find new tools for investigating gene function. It is an exciting challenge because uncovering the function of these poorly understood genes is likely to lead to a very rich harvest of new discoveries. To help meet this challenge, the Arabidopsis Functional Genomics Consortium (AFGC) was established to coordinate the study of gene function by two synergistic methods: microarray gene expression profiling and gene knockout mutagenesis. AFGC is comprised of a team of investigators from four institutions. Michigan State University and the Carnegie Institute of Washington at Stanford University have established microarray facilities. The University of Wisconsin and Yale University coordinate gene knock-out efforts as described in the accompanying article by Sandra Austin-Philips. A website explains in more detail the objectives, procedures, and services of AFGC (http://afgc.stanford.edu).