Variation in the Flax Genome and Its Application to Bioproducts

Flax is a source of useful bioproducts derived from both it seeds and its bast (phloem) fibers.  It is also an interesting subject for the study of genome variation including mobile elements.  We are using whole genome resequencing and other techniques to identify natural and induced polymorphisms as they relate to transposable elements and to genes that affect the qualities of bioproducts produced in cultivated flax (Linum usitatissimum).   We have compared genomic sequence from different accessions of L. usitatissimum,  as well as eight other Linum spp.  We are also identifying induced mutations in an EMS-mutagenized population of L. usitatissimum with a high mutation frequency (>20/Mb). We are using three different approaches for reverse genetics:  amplicon sequencing (IonTorrent), exome capture (Illumina), and whole genome resequencing (Illumina).  Results from each approach are presented here and show that all are effective in identifying mutations in flax genes of interest, although there are significant differences in cost per-run and cost per-mutation.  We are now expanding mutation discovery efforts in flax, using a combination of these approaches in parallel.