SorghumCyc

The SorghumCyc Project Summary

"Sorghum Biomass/Feedstock Genomics Research for Bioenergy" is a project funded by USDA and DOE. SorghumCyc is part of this project.

Objective

The objective of SorghumCyc is to annotate genes, pathways and regulatory networks identified in the sorghum genome sequence that are important for biomass generation.

Approach

Genes encoding proteins involved in biochemical pathways important for biomass generation, and plant composition related to biofuel production (i.e., starch, lignin, sugar, cellulose and hemicellulose), will be identified and projected onto biochemical pathways using the database MetaCyc. The pathway projections will provide a baseline of information on sorghum genes involved in biochemical pathways related to biomass/drought tolerance thus aiding our downstream analysis of QTL and traits. Moreover, the information on sorghum biochemical pathways in Gramene can be readily compared to information on other cereals and other organisms via Gramene's comparative mapping tools. This will help identify gaps in our current knowledge of sorghum biochemistry and help identify pathways and genes that may be useful to deploy in sorghum for biomass/bioenergy generation.