History and progress of the genomics studies in the model system of perennial plant species
多年生植物模式物种基因组研究的历史及进展

Strong justifications have been developed for why woody plants should be viewed as model systems in plant biology. The genus Populus possesses many characteristics that are conductive to functional genomic studies, and therefore leads to its emergence as a model system in extrapolating findings in perennial plant species that are different from annual herbaceous plants. With the proceeding of the whole genome sequencing, poplars will be act as a wide reference for functional genomics studies in perennial plant species and will also contribute towards answering some fundamental scientific questions. This paper reviewed the history and progress of the poplar genome studies and the potential keen topics in the future. The contents mainly address on: (1) the somatic genetics studies in Populus ; (2) the genomics studies carried out in Populus, including genetic mapping, genome sequencing, physical map construction, microarray analysis and linkage disequilibrium analysis; (3) the potential application of the genome information of Populus for facilitating our understanding of some basic scientific questions.