About

   The Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil or Pharbitis nil) was introduced from China, and was developed as a floricultural plant especially in Japan. In the late Edo era (1806~1860), many mutants were isolated, and they are still preserved in the core organization center, Kyushu University. Many genetic and physiological studies of the Japanese morning glory were conducted by Japanese biologists, and recent studies revealed that most mutations were induced by En/Spm-related transposable elements, Tpn1 family. Therefore these mutants are very important resource to isolate genes responsible for mutant phenotypes by transposon tagging, and to study the effects of transposable elements on gene expressions. In this project, we collect, develop and distribute mutant strains, EST clones, linkage maps, and transgenic lines of the Japanese morning glory to both local and foreign biologists. These resources will contribute to genome and genetic analysis, and development of new cultivars in the Japanese morning glory and related species.