Gibbon Genome Project
Gibbon Genome Project
 |
| Image source: Jim Zuckerman, Gibbon Conservation Center |
|
Links
|
About the Project
The BCM-HGSC is sequencing and analysing the genome of the Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys).
The gibbon is a Lesser Ape, an outgroup to the Great Apes that include humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Gibbons are estimated to have diverged from the hominoid common ancestor 18 to 20 million years ago. In contrast to these other primate genomes, the gibbon has undergone many chromosomal rearrangements. The genome sequencing project will provide important information about these rearrangements and the processes that shaped hominoid evolution and speciation.
The Gibbon Genome Sequencing Consortium is a collaboration between the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center and the Genome Institute at Washington University. The goal of the project is to produce a high quality draft genome assembly of the Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) from Sanger sequencing data from clones of different sizes, including small insert plasmids, BACs, and fosmids.
In addition, comparative sequencing of gibbons from the 4 major sub-genera of gibbons (Nomascus leucogenys, Hylobates, Bunopithecus hoolock, Symphalangus synddactylus) will provide information about the speciation among these endangered animals.
The project is funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).
Access to the Data
Version 1.0 of the assembly, Nleu_1.0 is available for download. The assembly is described in detail in the README in that directory. Nleu_1.0 is a draft genome assembly produced from the Sanger sequencing data using the Arachne assembler.
Sequencing Data
Sanger traces are available from the NCBI Trace Archive, which can be searched using NCBI MegaBLAST with a same species or cross species query.
SOLiD sequences are available from the NCBI Short Read Archive.
Resources
The Genome Instiute at Washington University
Non-human Primate Genome Sequencing