The Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Research
Project (1990 – 2001)

The Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Research Project was launched as a cooperative international effort in 1990. At that time, a vision was put forth of a sequenced model genome and the progress that could be made using that genome as a resource in the study of plant physiology, biochemistry, growth and development. A document published in that year, entitled “A Long-range Plan for the Multinational Coordinated Arabidopsis thaliana Genome Project” (NSF document 90-80) put forward a set of research goals and priorities that would lead to complete knowledge of the Arabidopsis genome. By all accounts the project has been a great success. All the goals have been accomplished or surpassed, as summarized in the table on the following page.

International Cooperation

The Genome Project provided a platform for a whole new way of approaching scientific problems. It acknowledged from the outset that members of the Arabidopsis research community are all working toward the same goal; it is therefore to the advantage of all to work in a cooperative manner. By setting forth a goal of international coordination and providing for this coordination by the creation of a multinational committee (the Multinational Science Steering Committee), the Genome Project started and developed with a degree of international cooperation that had rarely been seen in the past. Indeed, the Arabidopsis genome sequencing project (Arabidopsis Genome Initiative – AGI) is widely regarded as a positive example of the progress that can be made when a research community works together to achieve a goal.

Looking back on the project thus far, it is clear that it is this spirit of cooperation that has allowed its success. As genome research enters the next phase of functional genomic research, we must take with us the lessons of the first ten years: international cooperation, coordination of efforts, and communication among the involved groups are essential. By minimizing duplication of effort, removing obstacles for sharing of data and biological resources, and emphasizing the clear realization that all groups are working toward the same goal, we can foster a spirit of cooperation that will well serve the community, and eventually the world.