The Physcomitrella patens v3 Pseudochromosomal Flagship Genome

The genome sequence of the model moss Physcomitrella patens previously revealed genomic changes concomitant with the water to land transition of plant life; its phylogenetic key position makes this moss an ideal object for evo-devo studies, enhanced by its ability to integrate DNA by homologous recombination. In a joint effort, the genome has been brought to pseudochromosome scale over the past three years. Here, I will present first insights into what can be learned from chromosome scale intra- and inter-species comparisons, e.g. with regard to transposon content, epigenetic landscape and collinearity analyses. Current and future prospects of further developing Physcomitrella as a plant flagship genome, like cross-species ontologies and expression profiling, will be presented as well.