Sequencing, Assembly, and Annotation of B104, a Maize Transformation Resource

Maize transformation is not straightforward. Many lines can not be cultured and transformed readily, which limits the germplasm available for genome engineering Adding to the difficulty, the maize genome reference sequence is derived from the B73 inbred line, which is not readily transformed. B104 is a transformable maize line derived from the same populations as B73. In recent years, the Iowa State University Plant Transformation Facility (http://agron-www.agron.iastate.edu/ptf/) has offered B104 transformation as a first step toward bringing genomics resources to bear on maize transformation. Here we report a draft B104 genome sequence and describe B104-based genomics resources now publically available.