An ambitious international effort has been launched to decode the
genome of Eucalyptus, one of the world's most valuable fibre and
paper-producing trees with the goal to maximize its potential in the
burgeoning bioenergy market and for capturing excess atmospheric carbon.
The scientific effort to characterize the Eucalyptus genome, uniting
some two dozen institutions world-wide, is led by Alexander Myburg of the
University of Pretoria (South Africa), with co-leads Dario Grattapaglia, of
EMBRAPA and Catholic University of Brasilia (Brazil) and Gerald Tuskan of
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (United States). The DNA sequence of the
600-million-nucleotide tree genome will be generated under the auspices of
the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE-JGI) Community
Sequencing Program (CSP) and the information will be made freely available
over the Worldwide Web.

The project will be supported by significant contributions of genomic
data and scientific leadership from ArborGen, LLC., a U.S.-based forestry
biotechnology company. Arborgen and its New Zealand-based shareholder,
Rubicon Limited, will provide access to their private collection of more
than 240,000 Eucalyptus gene sequences. ArborGen also will work to enable
transformation of the model E. grandis clone that will be the source of the
genomic sequence. Genolyptus, a Brazilian Eucalyptus research network
directed by project co-lead Grattapaglia, will donate more than 120,000 gene
sequences and genetic mapping resources required to assemble and annotate
the final genome sequence.

"Sequencing the Eucalyptus genome will help us overcome many of the
major obstacles toward achieving a sustainable energy future," said Myburg.
"Embedded in this information is the molecular circuit map for superior
growth and adaptation in woody plants that can be optimized for biomass
production. Its unique evolutionary history, keystone ecological status, and
adaptation to marginal environments make Eucalyptus the focus of choice for
expanding our knowledge of the evolution and adaptive biology of all
perennial plants."

The genus Eucalyptus, comprised of over 700 different species, include
some of the fastest growing woody plants in the world and, at approximately
18 million hectares in 90 countries, it is one of the most widely planted
genus of plantation forest trees in the world. These trees evolved in the
Southern Hemisphere quite separately from Northern Hemisphere tree species.
Only the second tree to be sequenced, Eucalyptus offers extraordinary
opportunities for comparative genomic analysis with Populus, the first tree
sequenced and published in the journal Science by DOE JGI and collaborators
in 2006.

"The Eucalyptus genome will provide a window into the tree's metabolic
pathways, shedding light on such traits as cold tolerance, osmotic
potential, membrane integrity, and other agronomic features," said co-lead
Tuskan. "As the genus is amenable to genetic transformation, it can serve as
a validation platform for candidate gene expression studies--helping us to
expand Eucalyptus' range and exploit its potential as a bioenergy plantation
crop."

"This monumental project will enable improved breeding strategies for
cellulosic ethanol feedstocks and contribute to environmentally sound
improvements in productivity for the global forestry industry," said project
collaborator Maud Hinchee, Chief Technical Officer of ArborGen. "This effort
will help us advance our goals of producing renewable high-value biomass
from a smaller environmental footprint." Hinchee added that ArborGen brings
a wealth of experience with Eucalyptus and its enormous potential as a
dedicated bioenergy crop, noting that "this fast growing, high yield tree
offers a new source of hardwood in the Southern U.S. that can play a key
role in national energy security and economic development in the region, in
addition to providing numerous environmental benefits."

Already, a considerable amount of carbon is tied up in Eucalyptus
biomass. Coupled with the emerging economic incentives for carbon
sequestration, Eucalyptus is a prime candidate for increased efforts to
remove carbon from the atmosphere. "In countries such as Brazil, Eucalyptus
is used as a source of renewable energy for high quality steel production in
a way that reduces the net production of greenhouse gases. Eucalyptus is
capable of sequestering carbon at rate of 10 tons of carbon/hectare/year and
has a positive net carbon balance even when it is used to generate energy
from charcoal or for pulp and paper production. Furthermore plantation
forestry of Eucalyptus plays a crucial role to reduce the pressure on
tropical forests and associated biodiversity," said project co-lead
Grattapaglia.

"From a phylogenetic standpoint," said project collaborator Rene
Vaillancourt, University of Tasmania, "Eucalyptus sits at a pivotal position
in the tree of life at the base where the Eurosids split occurred." This
event is estimated to have happened some 100 million year ago, leading to a
completely independent evolutionary trajectory from poplar and Arabidopsis,
the Eurosids that have been sequenced to date. The Eucalyptus genome would
be the first representative of the Myrtales order of flowering plants
contributed to the public databases.

The project will be coordinated and the information disseminated by
the Eucalyptus Genome Network, EUCAGEN (www.eucagen.org). EUCAGEN was
established in 2004 with the aim to promote the generation of public
resources for Eucalyptus genomic research. More than 130 scientists from 18
countries are currently involved in EUCAGEN. This number is expected to grow
as the Eucalyptus genome sequence, and the genomic research tools that will
result from it, become a reality.
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