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The Lotus japonicus Genome pp 3–8Cite as

Background and History of the Lotus japonicus Model Legume System

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Part of the book series: Compendium of Plant Genomes ((CPG))

Abstract

The combination of favourable biological features, stable transformation procedures, application of genetics and genome-based global approaches has established Lotus japonicus as a model legume and provided a platform for addressing important biological questions often, but not exclusively, focusing on endosymbiosis. Several important discoveries have been made, and the Lotus community has contributed novel results, promoting our understanding of plant biology as well as our understanding of properties and characteristics typical for plants belonging to the legume family. Progress has been fast since L. japonicus was first promoted as a model plant yet there are many challenges for the coming years. This introductory chapter will set the stage for some of these challenges, while possibilities and challenges emerging from specific research projects will be addressed in the chapters that follow.

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Acknowledgements

Supported by the Danish National Research Foundation grant no. DNRF79 and the ERC Advanced Grant 268523.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Carbohydrate Recognition and Signalling, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 10, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Jens Stougaard

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  1. Jens Stougaard
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Correspondence to Jens Stougaard .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Kazusa DNA Research Institute, Kisarazu, Chiba, Japan

    Satoshi Tabata

  2. Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark

    Jens Stougaard

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Stougaard, J. (2014). Background and History of the Lotus japonicus Model Legume System. In: Tabata, S., Stougaard, J. (eds) The Lotus japonicus Genome. Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-44270-8_1

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