Multinational cattle genome project begins

 

A 53-million dollar multinational project that seeks to identify the functions of cattle genes has been launched, aiming at benefiting both human health and agriculture.

 

"Sequencing the bovine genome is a vital first step that will lay the groundwork for breakthroughs that will benefit both human health and agriculture," said United States Agriculture Secretary Ann M Veneman, while launching the project on December 12. "Eliminating hunger, improving nutrition and reducing agriculture's impact on the environment are all potential outcomes of this research."

 

The bovine genome is similar in size to the genomes of humans and other mammals, with an estimated size of three billion base pairs. Besides its potential for improving dairy and meat products and enhancing food safety, adding the genomic sequence of the cow (bos taurus) to the growing list of sequenced animal genomes will help researchers learn more about the human genome.

 

The genomic DNA sequencing activities will be carried out by Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston, while the full-length

DNA sequencing will be carried out at the sequencing platform of Genome British Columbia, located at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver and at the University of Alberta.

 

"The recent occurrence of 'Mad Cow Disease', involving a single cow in Canada, demonstrated quite clearly how deeply an economy can be affected by a problem in the cattle industry and how crucial it is to avoid another situation like this one," said Martin Godbout, President and CEO of Genome Canada. "It is important for the international community to invest in fundamental science that will help us all overcome the challenges of this industry. Research in this field is imperative."

 

Genome Canada is the primary funding and information resource relating to genomics and proteomics in Canada. To date, Genome Canada has invested more than 310 million dollars across Canada. With funding from other partners, this amounts to an investment of $710 million in 57 innovative genomics and proteomics research projects, and science and technology platforms.