Ten thousand genomes
Genomic "zoo"
Elena Novoselova, STRF.ruAn international group of scientists is implementing the Genome 10K Project.
The ultimate goal of this project is to create a kind of genomic "zoo" in which a collection of samples of decoded DNA sequences of 10,000 vertebrate species will be collected.
The collection of genetic information will come from animal collections in zoos, museums and universities around the world. After that, it is planned to decipher DNA sequences and try to find out the degree of evolutionary kinship of vertebrate species by comparative analysis of their genomes. Samples of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, many of which are endangered, will be used. Scientists will also try to decipher the DNA of some extinct species from museum samples. The genome of a species contains information from the past, it is a kind of "molecular fossil" that can shed light on the evolution of species.
Geneticists expect that the Genome 10K Project will make it possible to understand the genetic basis of adaptive changes both intraspecific and parallel at the interspecific level. The results obtained can be used to predict the reactions of modern vertebrate species to climate change, environmental pollution, new diseases and invasion of competitive species. This will allow strengthening strategies for the protection and conservation of species. Another potential aspect of the application of the information received is the selection of new agricultural animal breeds.
The Genome 10K Project, launched in April 2009, is attended by 68 scientists, specialists in the field of genetics. According to one of the leading participants of the project, David Haussler, professor of biomolecular engineering at the University of California and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, "This is a unique chance to see evolution in action."
This was made possible thanks to the real breakthrough of the last decade in the field of genome decoding. In addition to the fact that DNA sequencing has become faster and easier, this technology has also become cheaper. "Initially, the cost of decoding the human genome was a billion dollars, but now this price varies around 50 000 – 100 000 thousands of dollars," comments Stephen O'Brien from the Laboratory of Genetic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute (USA).
The first results of the work on the creation of a genomic "zoo" were published in the Journal of Heredity.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru06.11.2009