BonnMu: A Resource for Functional Genomics in Maize (Zea mays L.)

The BonnMu resource is a public transposon-tagged population designed for reverse and forward genetics studies in maize (Zea mays L.). The resource was created by crossing an active Mutator (Mu) transposon line into different inbred lines to induce insertional mutations. The resulting F₁ generation was self-pollinated to generate segregating BonnMu F₂ stocks. The Mu-tagged BonnMu F₂ stocks have insertions in 83% of all annotated maize gene models, and Mu insertion positions and photos of the seedling phenotypes of the segregating BonnMu F₂ stocks are deposited in the Maize Genetics and Genomics Database (MaizeGDB), with seeds available to the community. Here, we discuss the creation, expansion, and application of the BonnMu resource for identifying and characterizing mutations induced by Mu transposons, which represents a useful tool for functional genomics studies in maize.