Brachypodium as a model system for grass research

The combination of a tractable experimental system, molecular tools, facile genetics and comprehensive genomics resources places Brachypodium distachyon in a unique position to promote and accelerate biological investigations in cereal and grass crops. Brachypodium has a proven track-record as a bridge into Triticeae cereal crops by helping to navigate and assemble their large and complex genomes. Brachypodium’s compact genome already provides a useful reference for map-based cloning and comparative genomics. In this review, I argue that Brachypodium will also fulfill a more generic role as a functional genomics model. In this context, Brachypodium will play a pivotal role in multi-system approaches to underpin tomorrow’s grass research landscape.

► I review the role of Brachypodium as a model system for grass research.
► Examine the track record of Brachypodium as a biological and genomics model system.
► Discuss the future role of Brachypodium for gene discovery and functional genomics.