Identifying Avena-Specific Genes

The hexaploid oat (Avena sativa L.) is a staple cereal crop for both food production and animal feed. Oat is gluten-free, making it a grain option for those who suffer from gluten insensitivity. In spite of that, genomic resources and information on what makes oat unique are lacking. By leveraging existing resources in diploid oat from the A-genome sequencing project in Avena atliantica and other grass genomes, we seek to identity genes and nutritive pathways that are unique to oats and other grasses. We are using BLAST algorithms to compare gene sets from the Poaceae family (grasses, including Avena), GenBank’s nonredunadant database, and Phytozome. Results will show genes specific to grasses, as well as oats. The initial BLAST runs have eliminated 483,520 genes, finding them to be not unique, from our 960,265-gene dataset. Genes identified as Avena-specific will be analyzed for nutritive properties and their place in nutrient pathways.