Sequencing and subsequent annotation enables researchers to demarcate genes and regulatory sequences, map genetic variation, define genome structure, refine gene models and study gene function — in other words, to really understand the blueprints of the organisms that share our world. But insights can only be as good as the information from which it is derived.

Our Proximo^™ Platform enables the improvement of draft assemblies, or generation of the high-quality, chromosome-scale eukaryotic reference genomes needed to support high-quality comparative and functional genomics studies. Insights from these studies advance molecular and marker-assisted breeding programs, improve disease resistance and food security, and breakthroughs in drug discovery and synthetic biology. In addition, they enable us to understand plant and animal evolution and adaptation, define biodiversity and formulate appropriate conservation strategies.

Learn how the Proximo Platform was used to generate high-quality genomes, to support improved breeding of:

• cultivated tomato, through the analysis of structural variants between the modern cultivar Heinz 1706 and its wild progenitor Solanum pimpinellifolium
• the allotetraploid teff (Eragrostis tef), a cornerstone of food security in the Horn of Africa
• Cannabis sativa and other Cannabis cultivars, to achieve elevated cannabidiol (CBD) content
• the sugar beet (Beta vulgaris), to improve disease resistance
• the black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis L.), a niche fruit crop valued for its flavor and potential health benefits
• Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus), a highly nutritional ancient food staple
• the domestic goat (Capra hircus)

Find out how the Proximo Platform enabled the study of:

• genes encoding plant-derived agrichemicals in Callicarpa americana L. (American beautyberry), a terpenoid-producing plant used as an insect repellent
• gene sets relevant to the applied management of three invasive social wasps from the Vespula genus
• DNA markers and the causative genes for double flower production in the ornamental plant Hydrangea macrophylla
• phytochemical diversification in the genus Erysimum (Brassicaceae), which combines two potent classes of chemical defenses against herbivorous insects
• the benzylisoquinoline alkaloid (BIA) pathway in opium poppy (Papaver somniferum)
• glyphosate resistance in the agricultural weed, Conyza canadensis
• the genetic basis of behavior and sociality in the western honeybee (Apis mellifera); a species of huge importance to agriculture and ecology
• genetic mechanisms involved in the creation and maintenance of secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters (SMBGCs) in the cyclosporin-producing insect pathogenic fungus Tolypocladium inflatum
• the evolution of firefly bioluminescence in the Big Dipper firefly (Photinus pyralis)

Learn how high-quality reference genomes have enabled our understanding of the evolution, adaptation and/or speciation of:

• the tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) a lepidopteran insect used extensively as a model system for studying insect biology, development, neuroscience and immunity
• the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a widely used model system for ecology, evolution, behavior, physiology and toxicology
• the cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis), an important non-human primate (NHP) model that is widely used in biomedical research
• Lotus japonicus, a herbaceous perennial legume used extensively as a genetic model system for deciphering the molecular genetics of symbiotic nitrogen fixation
• Swiss Alpine whitefish (part of the Salmonidae family)
• Ug99, a newly emerged strain of the wheat stem rust pathogen, Puccinia graminis sp. tritici (Pgt); a major threat to global food security
• Anopheles funestus, one of the three most important and widespread vectors of human malaria in tropical Africa
• Varroa destructor and V. jacobsoni, economically important honey bee ectoparasitic mites
• the symbiotic, non-model filamentous fungus Epichloë festucae
• the corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis Fitch), the most economically damaging aphid pest of maize
• the orange clownfish (Amphiprion percula), a model organism for studying the ecology and evolution of reef fishes