Researchers at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics (KanGO), including University of Melbourne, ANU, WEHI, University of Sydney, University of NSW and the Australian Genome Research Foundation (AGRF) have built a framework to assemble the genome of a model kangaroo, the tammar wallaby.
"A good map is crucial for finding our way around a new genome," said KanGO Director Prof. Jenny Graves, who divides her time between ANU and University of Melbourne.
"It enables us to explore how the genome of mammals - including humans - is organized, how it functions, and how it evolved."
"Now the world can use information on kangaroo genes and sequences to explore how mammals develop and function," she said.
DNA sequence obtained by the Australian Genome Research Facility (AGRF) with funding from the Victorian government will be arranged using the genome map.
Researchers say the international race to sequence the genomes of significant species is driven by the power of genome comparisons – particularly of species that are distantly related – to reveal secrets of the genome in humans, as well as other mammals.
"Australia's weird and wonderful animals are making crucial contributions," Professor Graves said.
"The kangaroo has helped to consolidate Australia's reputation in this important genomics era," she said.
Graves says genomic information is extremely powerful. She says KanGO researchers used the kangaroo genome map to solve fundamental genetic puzzles, for instance discovering the gene that controls the sex of a baby, and overturning theories of the origin of our blood proteins.
The map and sequence will open up new areas of research into how genes are turned on and off during development of all mammals.
"Kangaroos are a marvellous model for studying human development and reproduction because they are born very early and complete much of their development in the pouch - rather than the womb," said Laureate Professor Marilyn Renfree of the University of Melbourne's Zoology Department, who takes over as KanGO Director today.
"This makes them a powerful tool for studying the genes and hormones involved in mammalian reproduction and development."
Professor Graves says that access to the next generation sequencing technologies will mean that the wealth of genetic information in Australia's native flora and fauna can now be tapped into.
"This will provide a depth of understanding never thought possible until recently and lead to new and exciting applications in the field of biotechnology."
Rebecca Scott | EurekAlert!
Further information:
http://www.unimelb.edu.au
Further reports about: > Australian > DNA sequence > Development > Genom > Genome Research > KanGO > Kangaroo genome > blood proteins > genome of mammals > genomic > genomic information > kangaroo > tammar wallaby
Rochester scientists discover gene controlling genetic recombination rates
23.04.2018 | University of Rochester
One step closer to reality
20.04.2018 | Max-Planck-Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie
Physicists at the Laboratory for Attosecond Physics, which is jointly run by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität and the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, have developed a high-power laser system that generates ultrashort pulses of light covering a large share of the mid-infrared spectrum. The researchers envisage a wide range of applications for the technology – in the early diagnosis of cancer, for instance.
Molecules are the building blocks of life. Like all other organisms, we are made of them. They control our biorhythm, and they can also reflect our state of...
University of Connecticut researchers have created a biodegradable composite made of silk fibers that can be used to repair broken load-bearing bones without the complications sometimes presented by other materials.
Repairing major load-bearing bones such as those in the leg can be a long and uncomfortable process.
Study published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces is the outcome of an international effort that included teams from Dresden and Berlin in Germany, and the US.
Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) together with colleagues from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the University of Virginia...
Novel highly efficient and brilliant gamma-ray source: Based on model calculations, physicists of the Max PIanck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg propose a novel method for an efficient high-brilliance gamma-ray source. A giant collimated gamma-ray pulse is generated from the interaction of a dense ultra-relativistic electron beam with a thin solid conductor. Energetic gamma-rays are copiously produced as the electron beam splits into filaments while propagating across the conductor. The resulting gamma-ray energy and flux enable novel experiments in nuclear and fundamental physics.
The typical wavelength of light interacting with an object of the microcosm scales with the size of this object. For atoms, this ranges from visible light to...
Stable joint cartilage can be produced from adult stem cells originating from bone marrow. This is made possible by inducing specific molecular processes occurring during embryonic cartilage formation, as researchers from the University and University Hospital of Basel report in the scientific journal PNAS.
Certain mesenchymal stem/stromal cells from the bone marrow of adults are considered extremely promising for skeletal tissue regeneration. These adult stem...
Anzeige
Anzeige
Invitation to the upcoming "Current Topics in Bioinformatics: Big Data in Genomics and Medicine"
13.04.2018 | Event News
Unique scope of UV LED technologies and applications presented in Berlin: ICULTA-2018
12.04.2018 | Event News
IWOLIA: A conference bringing together German Industrie 4.0 and French Industrie du Futur
09.04.2018 | Event News
Structured light and nanomaterials open new ways to tailor light at the nanoscale
23.04.2018 | Physics and Astronomy
On the shape of the 'petal' for the dissipation curve
23.04.2018 | Physics and Astronomy
Clean and Efficient – Fraunhofer ISE Presents Hydrogen Technologies at the HANNOVER MESSE 2018
23.04.2018 | Trade Fair News