Translational genomics for identifying the biological functions linked to pulse stress resistance and adaptation to agroecological cropping systems
Abstract
Legumes, and especially pulses, are an important source of protein for food and feed, and are
appreciated for their positive impact on the “one health”. However, their unstable yields and
their susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses highlight the need for varietal improvement in
order to increase the cultivated areas and productivity. With the advent of sequencing
technologies, a large pool of genetic and -omic resources, heterogeneous at the inter- and intraspecies scale, is emerging. Thus, it is important to capitalize on these scattered heterogeneous
data to develop translational research and boost breeding projects and crop diversification.
To meet this need, we undertook the development of NeoLeg, a NoSQL graph-based database
using Neo4j, dedicated for translational research in pulses. Starting from genome sequences
and annotation files, we inferred orthologous relationships between genes, and proposed
associated syntenic blocks between the chromosomes of four cultivated crops, namely Pisum
sativum, Vicia faba, Lens culinaris and Vigna radiata, and model legume Medicago truncatula.
Available information on quantitative trait loci (QTL) for multiple traits are being included as
well as expression data. The proposed modeling was evaluated in studying the conservation of
a flowering-promoting gene. The main achievements as well as remaining challenges and
perspectives will be discussed