SeedUSoon: A New Software Program to Improve Seed Stock Management and Plant Line Exchanges between Research Laboratories

Abstract

Plant research is supported by an ever-growing collection of mutant or transgenic lines. In the past, a typical basic research laboratory would focus on only a few plant lines that were carefully isolated from collections of lines containing random mutations. The subsequent technological breakthrough in high-throughput sequencing, combined with novel and highly efficient mutagenesis techniques (including site-directed mutagenesis), has led to a recent exponential growth in plant line collections used by individual researchers. Tracking the generation and genetic properties of these genetic resources is thus becoming increasingly challenging for researchers. Another difficulty for researchers is controlling the use of seeds protected by a Material Transfer Agreement, as often only the original recipient of the seeds is aware of the existence of such documents. This situation can thus lead to difficult legal situations. Simultaneously, various institutions and the general public now demand more information about the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In response, researchers are seeking new database solutions to address the triple challenge of research competition, legal constraints, and institutional/public demands. To help plant biology laboratories organize, describe, store, trace, and distribute their seeds, we have developed the new program SeedUSoon, with simplicity in mind. This software contains data management functions that allow the separate tracking of distinct mutations, even in successive crossings or mutagenesis. SeedUSoon reflects the biotechnological diversity of mutations and transgenes contained in any specific line, and the history of their inheritance. It can facilitate GMO certification procedures by distinguishing mutations on the basis of the presence/absence of a transgene, and by recording the technology used for their generation. Its interface can be customized to match the context and rules of any laboratory. In addition, SeedUSoon includes functions to help the laboratory protect intellectual property, export data, and facilitate seed exchange between laboratories. The SeedUSoon program, which is customizable to match individual practices and preferences, provides a powerful toolkit to plant laboratories searching for innovative approaches in laboratory management.

Mining and expression analysis of candidate genes involved in regulating the chilling requirement fulfillment of Paeonia lactiflora ‘Hang Baishao’

“…SOC1 / AGL20 regulates floral patterning and flowering time by integrating various flowering pathways derived from temperature, photoperiod and hormones [ 37 , 46 – 49 ]. Vernalization-induced SOC1 and its repressor FLOWERING LOCUS T ( FT ) can activate the genes involved in floral meristem identity, i.e., LEAFY ( LFY ) and APETALA 1 ( AP1 ), ultimately accelerating floral initiation [ 20 , 38 , 42 , 46 , 50 ]. In addition, the transcriptional patterns of pear SOC1 are similar to those of DAM genes, which could indicate that SOC1 might also play a crucial role in controlling the process of dormancy transition and release [ 15 ].…”

Review of Available SW Solutions for Intellectual Property Management Systems from the Perspective of Open Innovation

“…Charavay, Segard, Pochon, et al [24] developed a software program that could help augment the management of seed stock and plant line exchanges. The software had a component that was focused on protecting intellectual property.…”

“…IDEAS [36] also corresponds to Charavay, Segard, Pochon, et al in 2017 [24], who worked on a program that could augment seed stock management, and plant line exchanges. The very important aspect here is that innovation in terms of lab management be managed in the manner that the user requires, which is the kind of flexibility that this software offers, too.…”

SHiNeMaS : A web tool dedicated to seed lots history, phenotyping and cultural practices

“…Moreover, it is important for us to develop a tool distributed under a free licence, free of charge and using free technologies. Some tools we identified like PlantDB [10], Phytotracker [11] or SeedUSoon [12] manages seed lots and their stock information but doesn't fit our requirements as they are not adapted to field experimentation. For instance, PlantDB is mainly related to genotyping data management but doesn't provide a system to collect data from the field.…”