DNA sequence-based "bar codes" for tracking the origins of expressed sequence tags from a maize cDNA library constructed using multiple mRNA sources.

To enhance gene discovery, expressed sequence tag (EST) projects often make use of cDNA libraries produced using diverse mixtures of mRNAs. As such, expression data are lost because the origins of the resulting ESTs cannot be determined. Alternatively, multiple libraries can be prepared, each from a more restricted source of mRNAs. Although this approach allows the origins of ESTs to be determined, it requires the production of multiple libraries. A hybrid approach is reported here. A cDNA library was prepared using 21 different pools of maize (Zea mays) mRNAs. DNA sequence "bar codes" were added during first-strand cDNA synthesis to uniquely identify the mRNA source pool from which individual cDNAs were derived. Using a decoding algorithm that included error correction, it was possible to identify the source mRNA pool of more than 97% of the ESTs. The frequency at which a bar code is represented in an EST contig should be proportional to the abundance of the corresponding mRNA in the source pool. Consistent with this, all ESTs derived from several genes (zein and adh1) that are known to be exclusively expressed in kernels or preferentially expressed under anaerobic conditions, respectively, were exclusively tagged with bar codes associated with mRNA pools prepared from kernel and anaerobically treated seedlings, respectively. Hence, by allowing for the retention of expression data, the bar coding of cDNA libraries can enhance the value of EST projects.