Partners in the project include researchers from the Roslyn Institute in Scotland, which at the time cloned Dolly the sheep * The study is the first to point out the genetic differences that distinguish sheep from other animals.
Scientists cracked the genetic code of sheep to examine when they became a separate species from goats and found that this happened four million years ago. The study is the first to indicate the genetic differences that distinguished the sheep from other animals.
The findings can help develop DNA tests to speed up breeding programs, and help farmers improve animal traits.
The research identified the genes that give sheep their wool and revealed unique features of their digestive system that allow them to eat non-nutritious grass and other plants. They also built the most comprehensive picture yet of the sheep's complex biology. Additional studies that will use these resources will be able to reveal new insights about diseases that affect sheep.
The researchers from the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, who received strategic funding from the Biological and Biotechnological Research Council, are part of an international team deciphering the genome sequence - the complete genetic makeup - of the domestic sheep for the first time.
The team, the International Sheep Genomics Consortium, compared the sheep's genome with that of other animals including humans, cattle, goats and pigs. The analysis identified several genes related to the production of wool, as well as the evolution of the viscera, a special cell in the stomach that breaks down plant matter and facilitates its digestion.
The joint study, which involved 26 research institutes from eight countries, was led by the researchers from the British Commonwealth Scientific-Industrial Research Organization in Australia and partners in it are institutes from China, the USA (University of Utah and Baylor College of Medicine), and the Scottish Roslyn Institute.
The ARK Genomics Facility at the University of Edinburgh provided the genome sequence, including information on the genes expressed in approximately 40 different tissues. The study was published last Thursday in the journal Science.
Prof. Alan Archibald, head of the Institute of Genetics and Genomics at the Roslin Institute said: "The sheep was one of the first animals domesticated for agriculture and is still an important component of the global agricultural economy. Understanding their genetic composition will help us breed healthier sheep with a higher yield of wool and milk."
In the same topic on the science website:
- Winners of the 2014 Wolf Prize for Agriculture: Returning genes from wild to domesticated varieties will improve the world's food supply
- Dolly the sheep clan: It will be possible to clone mammoths but it won't be easy
- Why not connect genetic research in animals to that of humans?
to the notice of the researchers
8 תגובות
It's very good that science is progressing so quickly, and this will also be reflected in a great way on my plate with my steak 🙂
someone
There is still a heated debate around the issue
Project Encode claims that about 80 percent of the DNA is in use, but there are many researchers who claim that their research is irrelevant.
In any case, a large percentage of the mutations do not affect the phenotype and therefore do not affect survival.
"The great majority of mutations are meaningless, mainly because most of the genetic material is meaningless"
Nissim, it seems to me that the claim that most of the genome is a "junk genome" has been disproved in recent years, and the popular opinion today is that most of the genome has a role, if not in making proteins, then in controlling the genes that make proteins, am I wrong?
Father, I think it would be appropriate to refer to the news published this week on the science website:
Evidence from the Big Bang? "Wrong, it's space dust"
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4527065,00.html
Miracles, very interesting. Thank you!!
Eliyahu
Write the comment with links - here without the links...
Eliyahu
The answer is divided into two:
1) Roughly - the idea is simple. When DNA is heated, at around 85 degrees the two sizes separate in half. When cooled strands stick to pairs. If you mix DNA from two species, then it is quite possible that strands from different species will join. The closer the species, the better the linkage. The better the attachment - the higher the melting temperature. Therefore - what we do is, we heat the DNA again and look at what temperature the melting starts. The lower the temperature, the more different the species. In general - each degree is 1% difference.
2) Now - how do you go from changes in percentages to the time of separation? Here we use the concept called the molecular clock. The theoretical idea is mainly from Motoo Kimura, and the idea is that there is a known rate of mutations. The vast majority of mutations are meaningless, mainly because most of the genetic material is meaningless. Wikipedia has a good explanation
Hope I helped.
Eliyahu
The answer is divided into two:
1) Roughly - the idea is simple. When DNA is heated, at around 85 degrees the two sizes separate in half. When cooled strands stick to pairs. If you mix DNA from two species, then it is quite possible that strands from different species will join. The closer the species, the better the linkage. The better the attachment - the higher the melting temperature. Therefore - what we do is, we heat the DNA again and look at what temperature the melting starts. The lower the temperature, the more different the species. In general - each degree is 1% difference. A simple article: http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/_0/history_26
2) Now - how do you go from changes in percentages to the time of separation? Here we use the concept called the molecular clock. The theoretical idea is mainly from Motoo Kimura, and the idea is that there is a known rate of mutations. The vast majority of mutations are meaningless, mainly because most of the genetic material is meaningless. Wikipedia has a good explanation - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_clock
Hope I helped.
Is there an article that explains how to calculate the aforementioned "separation" time in any other species?