The 46th Annual Maize Genetics Conference. Unlocking the secrets of the maize genome

For the first time in its history, the Annual Maize Genetics Conference was held in Mexico City, near the center of origin for many Zea species, including maize. Maize research has made many contributions to our understanding of plant physiology and development, the regulation of transposable elements and chromosome structure, and the epigenetic control of gene expression. In addition to the reported advances in these research fields, this year's meeting emphasized the tremendous genetic diversity present within maize races. Explorations of this variation in studies of domestication, population genetics, and crop improvement hinted at the tremendous potential that lies within the maize genome. Tapping into this potential will soon be made easier as highlighted in a workshop outlining advances in maize genomics. Remarkable progress has been made toward sequencing the genic regions of the maize genome, and strategies to anchor and finish the entire maize gene space by 2006 were presented and discussed. This report highlights the new developments made in these areas of maize biology