From genome to gene: a new epoch for wheat research?

• Genetic research on the staple crop bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) has been impeded by the complexity of its genome.
• Genome sequences of bread wheat and its progenitors have been released based on shotgun and chromosome-by-chromosome strategies.
• Progress in the acquisition and interpretation of the wheat genome sequence is reviewed.
• Various strategies are discussed for exploitation of agronomically important genes in wheat.

Genetic research for bread wheat (Triticum aestivum), a staple crop around the world, has been impeded by its complex large hexaploid genome that contains a high proportion of repetitive DNA. Recent advances in sequencing technology have now overcome these challenges and led to genome drafts for bread wheat and its progenitors as well as high-resolution transcriptomes. However, the exploitation of these data for identifying agronomically important genes in wheat is lagging behind. We review recent wheat genome sequencing achievements and focus on four aspects of strategies and future hotspots for wheat improvement: positional cloning, ‘omics approaches, combining forward and reverse genetics, and epigenetics.