The Moss Physcomitrella patens

The moss Physcomitrella patens, like seed plants, shows alternation of generations, but its gametophyte, the haploid phase of the life cycle, is dominant, making it ideal for genetic studies. Crosses show direct segregations, so F2 or test crosses are unnecessary. Mutagenesis yields mutants, the phenotype of which is directly evident. Haploid tissue can be propagated vegetatively, allowing the maintenance of mutants blocked early in development. Protoplasts, isolated from filamentous gametophytic tissue, regenerate directly into filamentous tissue, providing an abundant supply of single haploid cells for transformation. Recombination occurs at a high frequency between genomic sequences in transforming DNA and the corresponding chromosomal sequences, allowing precise inactivation or modification of genes. RNAi technology allows the inactivation of the expression of gene families and the partial knockdown of essential genes. Over 100,000 ESTs have been sequenced and annotated, and sequencing of the genome should be completed by the end of 2005.