Genetic blueprints of 51 animal species decoded
In Nature Biotechnology now researchers published their work on mapped genetic blueprints for 51 species including cats, dolphins, kangaroos, penguins, sharks, and turtles, a discovery that deepens our understanding of evolution and the links between humans and animals. Dr. Björn Grüning and Cristobal Gallardo-Alba from the Galaxy Team Freiburg (https://galaxyproject.org/eu, Bioinformatics, Prof. Rolf Backofen) were involved in a team working with the Vertebrate Genomes Project, sequenced the genomes of 51 vertebrate species, prioritizing those that are useful models for understanding human evolution.
The researchers developed novel algorithms and computer software that cut the sequencing time from months -- or decades in the case of the human genome -- to a matter of days. Mammals, a subset of vertebrates that includes primates, dogs, cats, mice, and humans, share 50% to 99% of the same DNA and nearly all the genes from a common ancestor that lived roughly 200 million years ago. By comparing the complete genomes of these species, researchers can start to identify when and where DNA sequences diverged and the implications of those differences for humans.
The open-source software used for genome assembly is available online via Galaxy (https://usegalaxy.eu), a web-based platform that offers scientific software for free to the public and supports half a million scientists and educators worldwide.
The team will continue working with the Vertebrate Genomes Project to sequence the genomes of at least one species across all 275 vertebrate orders.
Larivière, D., Abueg, L., Brajuka, N. et al. Scalable, accessible and reproducible reference genome assembly and evaluation in Galaxy. Nat Biotechnol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-023-02100-3
Contact:
Dr. Björn Grüning
Head of Freiburg Galaxy Team
Bioinformatics
Department of Computer Science
University of Freiburg
E-Mail: gruening@informatik.uni-freiburg.de
Dr. Anika Erxleben-Eggenhofer
Project Management, Teaching and Training Coordination
Bioinformatics
Department of Computer Science
University of Freiburg
E-Mail: erxleben@informatik.uni-freiburg.de
Kerstin Steiger-Merx
Representative PR/Marketing
Faculty of Engineering
University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/203-8056
E-Mail: steiger-merx@tf.uni-freiburg.de