Comparative genomics

Now that we have a map of the human genome, we have to learn how to read it. That means figuring out which gene does what. Of the estimated 30,000 genes in the human genome, we have very little idea about what each one does. One way of studying genes is to directly compare the entire genome with other organisms. This study is called comparative genomics.

The human genome is extremely complicated and so, by comparing it with others, such as the mouse or fruit fly genome, we gain insights into the similarities and differences. Scientists can learn much about the function of human genes by comparing them with their mouse counterparts.

All the organisms scientists are using for genome comparison are known as model organisms, in that they are a model against which the human genome can be studied.

So how can we compare mice genes with human genes when we have 2 legs and mice have 4, when we have opposable thumbs and mice have claws? On a DNA level humans and other organisms aren’t that different - on average, mouse and human genes are 85% similar.

So far completely mapped ‘model organism’ genomes include chimpanzee, mouse, rat, pufferfish, fruit fly, sea squirts, roundworm, baker's yeast, the bacterium Escherichia coli and in February 2005, the kangaroo.

All of these organisms are being used by comparative genomics researchers to further understanding of the human genome. Around the world scientists from different nations are sequencing genomes.

In early 2005 research was underway into the dog, chicken, honey bee and sea urchin genomes.

Wallaby Genome Project

Australia is adding to the global genome research effort with the Wallaby Genome Project. The tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), an Australian marsupial, is the subject of this project being conducted by a group of leading Australian geneticists who aim to produce the entire genome sequence of the wallaby in two years.

Australian Genome Research Facility / DPI Victoria

Why the wallaby? To find out important genes that make us human, we compare our genome with that of other animals. Mammals such as the mouse are too similar and while animals like chickens are too different. Marsupials like the tammar wallaby are perfectly in between.

Marsupials are particularly valuable ‘alternative mammals’ for comparative studies. The have a number of unique features such as their reproduction and lactation. We study them at the genetic level to better understand the mechanisms that control fertility, seasonal breeding, pregnancy and lactation in all mammals.

Some of the research is focussing on the following areas:

Tammar wallabies are only 400 mg at birth. They are hairless and blind yet manage to find their way to the mother’s pouch where they complete their development. Scientists can study their development that may provide more information on how a young human develops inside its mother’s uterus and the genetic control of this. This information may also lead to better treatments for babies born very prematurely.
Kangaroo mothers are able to suspend the development of a fertilised egg until an older joey has left the pouch, or until environmental conditions are suitable for bringing a new joey into the world. Understanding how this is controlled may present new opportunities for control of mammalian fertility and development, which will be useful in infertility treatments for humans, and may also have benefits for breeding programs in farming.
A kangaroo mother is able to produce two types of milk at the one time, to feed a joey still in the pouch and another at heel. Understanding milk composition and control is important both for our understanding of human nutrition and our ability to manipulate milk production in domestic animals.

Thus, sequencing the wallaby genome has the potential to providebenefits in human medicine and agriculture. There will also be benefits that flow from applying genome scale information to conservation, ecology and pest management in a wide variety of marsupial species.

For more information on the Wallaby Genome Project, go to: http://www.agrf.org.au/Default.aspx?tabid=89

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Comparative genomics

Wallaby Genome Project