The genome of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is being sequenced by an international consortium of 10 countries (Korea, China, the United Kingdom, India, The Netherlands, France, Japan, Spain, Italy and the United States) as part of a larger initiative called the “International Solanaceae Genome Project (SOL): Systems Approach to Diversity and Adaptation”. The goals of this grassroots initiative, initiated in November 2003, are to establish a network of information, resources and scientists to ultimately tackle two of the most significant questions in plant biology and agriculture.

(1) How can a common set of genes/proteins give rise to a wide range of morphologically and ecologically distinct organisms that occupy our planet?

(2) How can a deeper understanding of the genetic basis of plant diversity be harnessed to better meet the needs of society in an environmentally-friendly and sustainable manner?

The Solanaceae are ideally suited to address both of these questions. The first step of the SOL project is to sequence the euchromatic portions of the tomato genome in high quality as a reference genome for the Solanaceae using an ordered BAC approach. The starting point for sequencing the genome are BACs anchored to the genetic map by overgo hybridization and AFLP technology. The overgos are derived from approximately 1500 markers of the tomato high density F2-2000 genetic map. These seed BACs are being used to radiate out into the ‘tiling path’ using BAC end sequence (BES) data. Annotation will be performed to strict SOL project guidelines.

All the information generated under the SOL umbrella will be made available in a comprehensive website, where all information will be interlinked, such the ultimate goal that the comparative biology of the Solanaceae will become available in a context that will facilitate a systems biology approach.

Figure: Countries sequencing different chromosomes (from SGN website) and current state of progress. For latest updates go to the Tomato Sequencing Project site.

SCRI is a partner on the UK project to sequence tomato chromosome 4 (funded by RERAD, DEFRA, BBSRC). This project is a collaboration between Imperial College London (Dr Gerard Bishop), University of Nottingham (Professor Graham Seymour), SCRI (Dr Glenn Bryan) and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, who have done all of the tomato chromosome 4 sequencing to date.  From 31 October 2008 all sequencing will be done using funding from the European Union (EU-SOL) as well as some residual funding from the existing project.  Annotation of the data is being led by the International Tomato Annotation Group (ITAG).