Papaya is the fifth angiosperm, after Arabidopsis, rice, grape and poplar, to have its genes completely sequenced Photo: Zoli Plosz

Researchers from the US University of Georgia’s Plant Genome Mapping Lab have worked with an international team to sequence papaya the papaya genome.

Papaya is the fifth angiosperm, after Arabidopsis, rice, grape and poplar, to have its genes completely sequenced. The researchers found that papaya had fewer genes than the simple Arabidopsis and it has sex chromosomes, a rarity in plants.

 “Papaya turns out to be a promising botanical model”, said Andrew Paterson, the lab’s director. “It’s potentially useful as a system to unravel which gene performs which function, and also useful in helping us tie together the genetic blueprints of all angiosperms”.

Yes, give me a free trial in print and online in PDF and online Name: Surname: Job Title: Company: Address: City: Country: Post/Zip Code: Tel: Email:   Privacy Policy

The papaya cultivar used for the study was genetically modified to resist ringspot disease, a virus that almost wiped out papaya farming in Hawaii. It is the first genetically modified plant to be so fully sequenced.

> Not a subscriber? Subscribe

RELATED NEWS

GM gene flow unlikely to injure environment
More Biotech news