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Press release.
06/11/2009
Horse genome fully sequenced
An international consortium of scientists, including researchers from INRA Jouy-en-Josas, and working with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in the USA has just published the detailed sequence of the horse genome in the distinguished journal Science. The complete horse genome makes a significant contribution to understanding equine biology and the comparative evolution of mammals. It will also provide the equine industry with more tools and more detailed breeding criteria. These findings could enhance animal health and well-being, with the identification of genetic anomalies behind certain diseases.
The article appears in the 6 November 2009 issue of Science.
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After 20 years of hard work involving more than a hundred scientists from 20 different countries, researchers have finally sequenced the horse genome, bringing the total number of known domesticated animal genomes to four (after the chicken, dog, and cow genomes). Sequencing of the horse genome was carried out in 2006 by the Broad Institute and officially announced on 7 February 2007. INRA Jouy-en-Josas participated in the mapping phase, thus joining an international consortium of scientists working on the project. For the next two years, the gene sequences obtained for this perissodactyl1 were assembled2 and annotated.
The horse genome bears strong similarities to other mammalian genomes. It measures some 2.7 gigabases (Gb), slightly smaller than the human genome (2.9 Gb). More detailed analysis of the genome predicts the existence of a little over 20,000 genes coding for proteins, of which some 17,000 are similar to human, mice and dog genes. There is a high correspondence between human and horse genomes, as 17 of the 32 horse chromosomes are similar to human chromosomes, despite inversions in the order of some sequences. Other chromosomes are similar to several human chromosomes put together. Such data indicate that the horse genome is closer to the human genome than are those of dogs or mice.
Moreover, nearly half of its sequence (46%) is formed by repeated sequences.
Sequencing the horse genome has applications beyond its relevance to evolutionary studies, contributing to the development of high-throughput analysis tools: DNA chips3. Over a million genetic markers were identified after partial resequencing of the horse genome from several races. 54,000 of these were spotted on a chip, creating markers to help identify regions of interest, particularly those responsible for genetic anomalies.
Thanks to these regions and, in some cases, these genes, individual genetic profiles can be easily established. This will also help optimise genomic selection, which consists of selecting studs and broods based on their genetic value as predicted by these markers. Breeders will also benefit from these technological advances that provide them with objective selection criteria.
For over two centuries, horse breeds were carefully selected for various hereditary characteristics such as behaviour, size, strength and speed. Researchers can study these markers, characterise them and gauge their relationships.
Knowledge of the horse genome could also improve horse health and well-being by making it easier to identify mutations behind certain diseases. Scientists can now work on tools that explore the role of genetic factors in equine health, from straightforward genetic diseases to multifactorial disorders that are influenced by the environment.
The entire horse genome sequence is available to scientists the world over on the website http://genome.ucsc.edu/.
The international consortium represents the different self-funded horse genome research teams. INRA, with the support of the Haras nationaux, participated in the development of genome maps and the search for genetic markers. The Broad Institute, funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), an arm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), carried out the sequencing, assembly and annotation of the horse genome.
1The order Perissodactyla includes equines, rhinoceros and tapirs .
2Assembly refers to the process of putting together sequenced DNA fragments in the order they appear on chromosomes, while annotation is the identification of the nature of the sequences, particularly those corresponding to genes.
3DNA chips, or microarrays, may be expression chips containing short sequences of all genes, for assessing their level of expression, or polymorphism chips that are used to detect individual differences in DNA sequences.
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For more information:
Consult the internet site of the consortium (in French): http://dga.jouy.inra.fr/horse.genomics/
Reference :
"Genome sequence, comparative analysis and population genetics of the domestic horse (Equus caballus)"
SCIENCE, 6 November 2009, vol. 326, p. 865-867.
Wade CM1,2,3, Giulotto E4, Sigurdsson S5, Zoli M6, Gnerre S1, Imsland F5, Lear TL7, Adelson DL8, Bailey E7, Bellone RR9, Blöcker H10, Distl O11, Edgar RC12, Garber M1, Leeb T11, 13, Mauceli E1, MacLeod JN7, Penedo MCT14, Raison JM8, Sharpe T1, Vogel J15, Andersson L5, Antczak DF16, Biagi T1, Binns MM17, Chowdhary BP18, Coleman SJ7, Della Valle G6, Fryc S1, Guérin G19, Hasegawa T20, Hill EW21, Jurka J22, Kiialainen A23, Lindgren G24, Liu J25, Magnani E4, Mickelson JR26, Murray J27, Nergadze SG4, Onofrio R1, Pedroni S14, Piras MF4, Raudsepp T18, Rocchi M28, Røed KH29, Ryder OA30, Searle S15, Skow L18, Swinburne JE31, Syvänen AC23, Tozaki T32, Valberg SJ26, Vaudin M31, White JR1, Zody MC1,5, Broad Institute Genome Sequencing Platform1, Broad Institute Whole Genome Assembly Team1, Lander ES1, 33, 34, and Lindblad-Toh K1, 5.
1 Broad Institute, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
2 Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA 02114 USA
3 Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006 Australia
4 Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia, Università di Pavia, Via Ferrata 1, 27100 Pavia, Italy
5 Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Box 582, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
6 Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Bologna, Via Selmi 3, 40126 Bologna, Italy
7 Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA
8 The University of Adelaide, SA 5005 Australia
9 University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Blvd. Box 3F Tampa, Florida, USA
10 Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
11 Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Bünteweg 17p, 30559 Hannover, Germany
12 45 Monterey Dr, Tiburon CA USA 94920
13 Institute of Genetics, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Berne, Bremgartenstrasse 109a. 3001 Berne, Switzerland
14 Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California, Davis, CA USA
15 Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
16 Baker Institute for Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
17 The Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, London NW1 0TU UK
18 College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
19 INRA, UMR 1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative (GABI) Biologie Intégrative et Génétique Equine, bât 440.78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
20 Equine Research Institute, Japan Racing Association, 321-4 Tokami-cho, Utsunomiya, Tochigi, 320-0856. Japan
21 Animal Genomics Laboratory, School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
22 Genetic Information Research Institute, 1925 Landings Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
23 Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University 75185 Uppsala Sweden
24 Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 597, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
25 Department of Computer Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA
26 College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
27 VM-Population Health and Reproduction, University of California Davis CA USA
28 Department of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Bari, Via Amendola 165, 70126, Bari, Italy.
29 Department of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, N-0033 Oslo, Norway
30 San Diego Zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, Escondido, CA 92029 USA
31 Animal Health Trust, Suffolk, CB8 7UU, UK
32 Department of Molecular Genetics, Laboratory of Racing Chemistry, 1731-2 Tsurutamachi Utsunomiya, Tochigi 320-0851, Japan
33 Department of Biology Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge MA 02142 USA
34 Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, 9 Cambridge Center, Cambridge MA 02142, USA NSW 2006 Australia
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Written by :
INRA press service, phone: +33 (0)1 42 75 91 69
Mathilde Maufras, tel: 33 (0)1 42 75 91 69 or presse@inra.fr
Contacts :
Scientific contact for France:
Gérard Guérin
Joint Research Unit for Animal Genetics and Integrative Biology
Jouy-en-Josas Research Centre
Tel: 33 (0)1 34 65 25 77 or gerard.guerin@jouy.inra.fr
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