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December 15, 2003
Chimp genome debuts on UCSC Genome Browser
By Tim Stephens
The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) announced last
week the completion of the first draft assembly of the chimpanzee genome
sequence, and computer-generated alignments of the draft chimp sequence
with the human genome sequence are now available to researchers on the
UCSC Genome Browser.
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Chimpanzees do not suffer from some of the diseases that strike
humans. A comparison of the genes involved in disease susceptibility
may reveal the reasons for this species barrier, thereby suggesting
new pathways for prevention of human disease.
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The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is the most closely related
species to humans. UCSC researchers David Haussler, a Howard Hughes
Medical Institute investigator and director of the Center for Biomolecular
Science and Engineering (CBSE), and Jim Kent, a CBSE research scientist,
are part of an international team of scientists who are comparing the
chimp and human genome sequences for insights into human genetics and
evolution.
"We are just starting to do the comparative analysis of the chimp
and human genomes," Haussler said. "This is an exciting time
for many scientists around the world."
Comparative analysis of the human and chimp genomes can reveal unique
types of information impossible to obtain from comparing the human genome
with the genomes of other animals less closely related. The evolutionary
perspective may prove especially helpful in understanding disease susceptibility.
For example, chimpanzees do not suffer from some of the diseases that
strike humans, such as malaria. A comparison of the genes involved in
disease susceptibility may reveal the reasons for this species barrier,
thereby suggesting new pathways for prevention of human disease.
The alignment of corresponding sections of the two genomes is the first
step in this analysis. Kent and researchers at Pennsylvania State University
developed the software programs used to generate the alignments. Kent
performed the alignments in collaboration with researchers at Washington
University in St. Louis and the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard University.
Other members of the UCSC team who contributed to the release of these
alignments in the Genome Browser are Kate Rosenbloom, Heather Trumbower,
and Donna Karolchik.
The chimpanzee genome sequence was assembled by NHGRI-funded teams
led by Eric Lander at the Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard) and Richard
K. Wilson at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. The
analysis of the genome is being led by researchers at the University
of Washington in Seattle, Washington University in St. Louis, and the
Broad Institute (MIT/Harvard).
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