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Complete Khoisan and Bantu genomes from southern Africa.
The genetic structure of the indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of southern Africa, the oldest known lineage of modern human, is important for understanding human diversity. Studies based on mitochondrial and small sets of nuclear markers have shown that these hunter-gatherers, known as Khoisan, San, or Bushmen, are genetically divergent from other humans. However, until now, fully sequenced human genomes have been limited to recently diverged populations. Here we present the complete...
New Insights into the Genetic Basis of Monge's Disease and Adaptation to High-Altitude.
Human high-altitude (HA) adaptation or mal-adaptation is explored to understand the physiology, pathophysiology, and molecular mechanisms that underlie long-term exposure to hypoxia. Here, we report the results of an analysis of the largest whole-genome-sequencing of Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) and nonCMS individuals, identified candidate genes and functionally validated these candidates in a genetic model system (Drosophila). We used PreCIOSS algorithm that uses Haplotype Allele...
The dynamic genome of Hydra.
The freshwater cnidarian Hydra was first described in 1702 and has been the object of study for 300 years. Experimental studies of Hydra between 1736 and 1744 culminated in the discovery of asexual reproduction of an animal by budding, the first description of regeneration in an animal, and successful transplantation of tissue between animals. Today, Hydra is an important model for studies of axial patterning, stem cell biology and regeneration. Here we report the genome of Hydra...
Toward a cDNA map of the human genome.
Advances in the Human Genome Project are shaping the strategies for identifying the 50,000-100,000 human genes. High-resolution genetic maps of the human genome combined with sequencing herald an era of rapid regional definition of disease genes. However, only once their chromosome band location is known will the systematic partial sequencing of thousands of random cDNA clones provide the reagents for teh rapid assessment of the genes responsible for the inherited disorders. We now present...
Sequence and analysis of chromosome 1 of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
The genome of the flowering plant Arabidopsis thaliana has five chromosomes. Here we report the sequence of the largest, chromosome 1, in two contigs of around 14.2 and 14.6 megabases. The contigs extend from the telomeres to the centromeric borders, regions rich in transposons, retrotransposons and repetitive elements such as the 180-base-pair repeat. The chromosome represents 25% of the genome and contains about 6,850 open reading frames, 236 transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and 12 small nuclear...
J. Robert Beyster and Life Technologies 2009-2010 Research Voyage Launch
After two years of intensive sampling in the waters off California and the west coast of the United States, the Sorcerer II Expedition embarked once again on March 21, 2009. Our destination: the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean Seas. Funded by generous donations from the Beyster Family Foundation Fund of The San Diego Foundation and Life Technologies Corporation, the Sorcerer II Expedition will continue the metagenomic study of the microbiota living at or near the ocean’s surface (mostly...
A gene map of the human genome.
The human genome is thought to harbor 50,000 to 100,000 genes, of which about half have been sampled to date in the form of expressed sequence tags. An international consortium was organized to develop and map gene-based sequence tagged site markers on a set of two radiation hybrid panels and a yeast artificial chromosome library. More than 16,000 human genes have been mapped relative to a framework map that contains about 1000 polymorphic genetic markers. The gene map unifies the existing...
Policy and Regulatory Issues for Gene Drives in Insects
Workshop Report
Scientists around the world, including leading researchers at the University of California, are working to apply gene editing technologies to quickly “drive” desired traits throughout populations of insects. The hope is that the method could be used to engineer populations of insects in the wild, with the goal of reducing insect-borne diseases such as malaria or dengue fever, or controlling agricultural pests, such as those that transmit citrus greening disease. Many benefits could be...
Metagenomic exploration of viruses throughout the Indian Ocean.
The characterization of global marine microbial taxonomic and functional diversity is a primary goal of the Global Ocean Sampling Expedition. As part of this study, 19 water samples were collected aboard the Sorcerer II sailing vessel from the southern Indian Ocean in an effort to more thoroughly understand the lifestyle strategies of the microbial inhabitants of this ultra-oligotrophic region. No investigations of whole virioplankton assemblages have been conducted on waters collected from...
Systems Biology for Molecular Analysis of Tuberculosis in Ethiopia
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is estimated to have infected one third of the world’s population based on reports from surveys on positive skin tuberculin tests. There are 22 high-burden countries globally, among them Ethiopia, accounting for 80% of all active tuberculosis cases. The clonal relatedness of strains circulating in humans and other potential reservoirs is poorly understood. Molecular epidemiology is gaining importance in tracking strains and addressing key public health...