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Rat Genome
The major focus of the BCM-HGSC
is high-throughput DNA sequence generation and accompanying analysis. The largest
current project is production of a draft sequence (blueprint) of the rat genome
within two years. The BCM-HGSC is responsible for about 60 percent of the sequencing,
as well as overall coordination of the project. The laboratory rat is widely used
as a disease model in research programs directed at understanding, treating, and
preventing many human diseases. The sequencing of the rat genome is being done
in collaboration with Celera Genomics and Genome Therapeutics Corporation. Groups
at the Genome Sequence Centre in British Columbia, The Institute for Genomic Research,
the University of Utah, and The Children's Hospital of Oakland are also contributing.
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Human Genome
Completion of the Human
Genome Project represents another large-scale endeavor for the BCM-HGSC. The Center
is responsible for determining the DNA sequence of chromosomes 3, 12, and part
of X. This represents about 10 percent of the human genome. The draft sequence
of the genome was completed in the Spring, 2000, and the initial analysis was
published in February 2001. The current work is refining the sequence and will
lead to a complete, annotated sequence in 2003. This will be of enormous benefit
in a wide range of research activities in the biomedical sciences. Comparison
of the rat and human genomes is already underway at the Center, leading to new
gene predictions and a deeper understanding of man's origins. |
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Mammalian Gene Collection (cDNAs)
A
third major project related to the human genome is the sequencing of full-length
mammalian genes (cDNAs). Only about 3 percent of the human genome codes for genes,
and each gene is broken into many small pieces, making analysis very challenging.
In contrast, each cDNA is a complete coding region (gene) with the segments spliced
together. The sequences of cDNAs thus serve to rapidly delineate human genes.
This is critical for the analysis of the human genome. |
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Other Organisms
The BCM-HGSC is also
sequencing the genomes of a number of other important organisms. These include
the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila pseudoobscura, the slime
mold (amoeba) Dictyostelium discoideum, and a number of bacteria that cause serious
infections (Rickettsia typhi, typhus fever; Enterococcus faecium, nosocomial infections;
Mannheimia haemolytica, shipping fever; Fusobacterium nucleatum, periodontal disease).
In addition to these whole genome projects, a number of smaller sequencing projects
are underway, targeting key genetic regions in primates, cattle, and the mouse.
Disease Related
The BCM-HGSC is
studying a number of diseases through DNA sequence based approaches. These studies
includes childhood leukemias, schizophrenia, and heart disease, as well as the
genomic differences that lead to evolutionary changes, the role of host genetic
variation in the course of infectious disease and the molecular basis of specific
diseases. Technology
Finally, a
number of technology development research projects are being pursued in the HGSC.
This includes the investigation of new molecular technologies for mapping and
sequencing, the exploration for novel chemistries for DNA tagging, development
of instrumentation for DNA manipulation and building new computer programs for
genomic data analysis. |
