Advanced Genetic Technologies

The aim of this proposal is to bring to the College of Agriculture the capabilities for, and a strong track record in, modern high-throughput genetic technologies, and to introduce these technologies into the college research and educational programs. These technologies include DNA sequencing and various methods to construct saturated maps of genomes, as well as large-scale analysis of plant, animal and microbial populations. The availability of the facility, and the results of the proposed pilot projects will enhance the competitiveness of faculty in the college to obtain competitive extramural grant support in these important areas of agriculture. Objective 1: Train and provide expert support for high-throughput molecular genetic analysis methods. A professional computer programer, a graduate research assistant, and a postdoctorate will be employed in support of the operations of the facility and the pilot projects of the principal investigators and other College of Agriculture faculty. The computer programmer will refine and expand the laboratory and analysis information management systems (LIMS and AIMS), for example by implementing sample tracking and data collation, and automating use of available software for bioinformatic analyses. The research assistant will provide statistical expertise, particularly in phylogenetic and population genetic studies, and the postdoctorate will provide expertise in genomic and cDNA library construction. Objective 2: Increase capacity for DNA sequencing and molecular genetic analysis. Requested new instrumentation will increase the sequencing capacity of the facility by 80%. Objective 3: Establish an undergraduate internship program in Advanced Genetic Technologies. Six undergraduate internships will be established to introduce students to modern high-throughput genetic analyses. Objective 4. Conduct new pilot projects on phylogenetics and gene expression in agriculturally relevant organisms. Phylogenetic studies of plant-pathogenic and symbiotic fungi and bacteria, phylogenetic studies of Hymenopteran insects, and a novel approach to identify plant factors involved in RNA processing, are proposed as pilot studies to enhance the profile of research at the University of Kentucky and thus increase competitiveness for federal funding.