Perlegen Sciences, Inc., the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies announced today that they will collaborate to identify the DNA variation in twenty strains of the plant, Arabidopsis thaliana.

Arabidopsis thaliana, the first plant to have its genome sequenced, is considered the reference plant for plant biology and for genetic diversity. Not only does this small plant from the mustard family develop, reproduce, and respond to stress and disease in much the same way as many important commercial crop plants, but it can also grow and adapt to many different environments. Studies of genetic diversity in Arabidopsis will have important implications for topics as varied as agricultural, environmental science, and human health.

This collaboration, which will be the first public, whole-genome study of intraspecies variation in this important reference plant, will be funded by a grant from the Max Planck Society. Combining Perlegen’s high-throughput technology and expertise in SNP detection and variation analysis, with the extensive understanding of natural variation in Arabidopsis at Max Planck and Salk Institutes, the collaborators plan to identify the whole-genome distribution of genetic variants that will enable subsequent mechanistic studies of adaptive change.

"For the first time, researchers will have a truly global understanding of genetic variation in Arabidopsis thaliana", said Dr. Detlef Weigel, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology. "This knowledge will allow us to associate DNA variation with natural variation in important traits such as flowering time or cold tolerance, ultimately helping us to predict the performance of natural populations under changing environmental conditions. Work on model organisms such as Arabidopsis will be an essential step towards developing methods and concepts applicable to crop and wild plants, and even animals."

"The array-based variation data will allow us to perform functional genomic studies in this reference plant leading to increased knowledge about basic plant biology", states Dr. Joe Ecker, head of the Salk Institute Genome Analysis Laboratory. "The variants identified in this project, for instance, could be utilized to generate a SNP map for all strains of Arabidopsis thaliana."

"Arabidopsis is an important species in genetic research and an excellent candidate for a DNA variation study", said Dr. Kelly Frazer, Vice President of Genomic Biology at Perlegen. "We are very pleased to have been chosen by the Max Planck Institute and to be collaborating with Drs. Weigel and Ecker."

Upon completion of the project the collaborators intend to make public the sequences and single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, found in the twenty strains.

About Perlegen Sciences

Perlegen Sciences, Inc. is working to provide safe and effective medicines to the world. The company quickly and cost effectively analyzes more than 1.5 million genetic variations in DNA samples obtained from clinical trial participants. This information is used to explain and predict the efficacy and adverse effect profiles of prescription drugs. Perlegen also applies this expertise to discovering genetic variants associated with disease for potential new therapeutics and diagnostics. For years, scientists and drug manufacturers have been eager to comprehensively examine entire genomes; through Perlegen, this is now possible. Perlegen is able to bring drugs to the market wherein clinical development could have been otherwise discontinued.

Based in Mountain View, California, Perlegen was formed in late 2000 as a spin-off from Affymetrix, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFFX). For more information about the company and its technologies, visit Perlegen's website at www.perlegen.com. Perlegen Sciences, Perlegen, and the Perlegen logo are trademarks of Perlegen Sciences, Inc

About the Max Planck Institute

The Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science is an independent nonprofit research organization, based in Germany. The eighty institutes and research facilities of the Max Planck Society are divided into three sections: the Chemistry, Physics and Technology Section, the Biology and Medicine Section, and the Humanities Section. These institutes perform research in the interest of the general public and are committed to making the results of their work accessible to the general public.

About the Salk Institute for Biological Studies

The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, located in La Jolla, Calif., is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to fundamental discoveries in the life sciences, the improvement of human health and conditions, and the training of future generations of researchers. Jonas Salk, M.D., founded the institute in 1960 with a gift of land from the City of San Diego and the financial support of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation.