PAG 2024

The IWGSC has led the effort to develop a high quality, reference sequence of the large, complex (hexaploid), bread wheat genome: IWGSC RefSeq v1.0 and annotation v1.1 as well as IWGSC RefSeq v2.1 and accompanying annotation. This year, the IWGSC has embarked on a new wheat diversity project to bring the reference sequence to platinum quality and to sequence landraces that reflect the breadth of wheat diversity. In the IWGSC workshop this year, presentations will include site-directed mutagenesis with genome editing, homoeolog expression bias inheritance in wheat, small RNAs, sequencing of mutations in wheat promoters, and the platinum quality sequence of Svevo with the tetraploid wheat pangenome. As usual, the workshop also includes the presentation of the Catherine Feuillet & IWGSC Early Career Award and travel stipend to Carolyn Mukiri Kambona who will speak about how memory of past drought stress affects plant responses. This award is given to a young scientist nominated by anyone in the wheat community and selected by the IWGSC leadership in recognition of outstanding achievement.

The wheat reference genome sequence (IWGSC RefSeq v1.0 & v2.1) has provided a foundation that has propelled recent advances in research and improvement of wheat. For the Structural and Functional Genomics Workshop, continued advances in research and understanding will require new experimental and computational approaches to structurally identify and assign function to genes (both coding and non-coding) as well as regulatory elements and epigenetic states. Accordingly, abstracts submitted for this workshop should focus on genome-scale studies that improve understanding of wheat genome function through the development of additional data resources, computational and experimental studies, exploration of gene families and pathways, and platforms that facilitate annotation and visualization.

Carolyn Mukiri was awarded the IWGSC and Catherine Feuillet Early Career Award and will receive her award at the Plant & Animal Genome Conference (PAG) in San Diego, California (USA) in January 2024. Carolyn also received a travel stipend to allowed her to travel to the PAG conference to present a talk during the IWGSC main workshop on Saturday 13 January 2024.

The following scientist presented their research at the IWGSC Workshops at PAG31

The IWGSC Business Meeting at PAG31 was held on Saturday 13 January from 6:20 to 7:30pm in Palm 7.

Poster presented by the IWGSC at the Plant and Animal Genome Conference 31 (12-17 January 2024)