Orion Makes Its Sorghum Gene Sequence Publicly Available

NEW YORK, Jan. 4 (GenomeWeb News) - Orion Genomics has deposited into GenBank its gene-enriched DNA sequence from the sorghum plant, the St. Louis company said today.

Orion said that it has elucidated more than 95 percent of the genes in sorghum using its GeneThresher technology.

The sequence comprises approximately 500,000 gene-rich sequences, and will complement the more than 20,000 different gene sequences derived from National Science Foundation-funded cDNA sequencing projects, Orion said.

The sequences are expected to facilitate research on sorghum's unusual resilience in sup-optimal environments to improve other crops, such as its close relative corn, and to contribute to the development of biofuels, Orion said.