"The sequencing of the chicken genome is a major landmark as the first agriculturally important animal to have its genome sequenced and has great implications for furthering our understanding of the human genome," said Professor David Burt of the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, who led a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded team which worked on the annotation of the genome within the international chicken genome project. "The chicken has also been used extensively as a model by developmental biologists for over a century and the availability of a gene catalogue for the species will boost research in this area."
From the sequencing of the human and other mammalian genomes we have a large number of genes for which the function is still a mystery. The chicken is located part way between mammals and fish in the tree of life and the sequenced genome will help us to understand the function of human genes and the way that they have evolved in vertebrates.
Scientists at the BBSRC-sponsored Institute for Animal Health (IAH) in Compton, Berkshire, have analysed the part of the chicken genome responsible for controlling tissue rejection and which influences the susceptibility of individuals to diseases. Their work, led by Dr Jim Kaufman, will aid the breeding of healthier chickens and the design of better veterinary vaccines.
Analysis of the sequence has revealed how similar the arrangement of genes in the chicken and human genomes are - at a basic level this comparison is even better than the mouse, a common model
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Contact: Matt Goode
matt.goode@bbsrc.ac.uk
44-179-341-3299
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
8-Dec-2004