National Animal Genome
Research Program (NAGRP)
The interest in how the genome (DNA) of
any species is organized and expressed as
traits in an animal has led to a new subdiscipline
of genetics, called genomics. Available and
rapidly improving technologies have allowed
the examination of the genome of an organism
as a whole, rather than one or a few genes
at a time. Thus, the interest in genome research
has focused on sequencing genomes of livestock
and poultry to understand how various genes
function and interact (functional genomics).
A spinoff from this knowledge is gene transfer
(transgenesis), which has the potential to
create new or altered strains of agriculturally
important animals. These transgenic animals
will have improved disease resistance, better
growth rate and yield, improved reproduction,
and altered cell and tissue characteristics
for biomedical research and manufacturing.
The program attempts to identify DNA sequences
or quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated
with disease resistance or susceptibility
and production traits in livestock and poultry
species. These markers will be useful in
selection strategies in most, if not all,
livestock and poultry species.
The potential for agricultural genomics
was officially recognized in the 1990 Farm
Bill, which authorized a USDA National Genetics
Resources Program. As a result, two new programs
were proposed and established: a National
Animal Genome Research Program (NAGRP) to
be led by CSREES and a National
Animal Germplasm Program to be led by
ARS.
To help coordinate the U.S. genome mapping
efforts in cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry
species, the National Research Support Project
(NRSP-8) was initiated in 1993. Recently,
horses and aquaculture (fish and other water
animal) species were added. This project
facilitates greater communication among various
interest groups through the Species Genome
Committees. These committees foster exchange
of materials, maintain genomics maps (both
physical and genetic), establish databases
for sharing and communicating information,
and provide leadership in establishing research
priorities at a national level.
Key partners in these efforts include Auburn,
Texas A&M, Kentucky, Michigan State,
Utah State, and Iowa State universities.
The Iowa State University team leads database
coordination efforts. NRSP-8 is an umbrella
project to support and complement the activities
of several multistate research projects.
These projects primarily focus on species-specific
objectives and depend on the resource and
infrastructure support of NRSP-8. Examples
of these multistate projects are:
Sequencing the Genome of Cow
This program will support high-throughput
sequencing of the bovine genome. The goal
is to contribute to a working draft sequence
of (approximately six-fold sequence coverage)
of 90 percent of the bovine genome. The outcome
of draft sequencing projects is expected
to include generation of high-quality sequence
data, organization of the sequence reads
into contiguous sequences (contigs), and
deposition of all information into a publicly
accessible, preexisting database. Additional
information is available through:
Sequencing the Genome of Chicken
Among the domestic food animals as well
as the model non-human organisms, the chicken
is the first to be selected for genome sequencing.
CSREES-supported scientists at Michigan State
and Texas A&M universities are assisting
the genome sequencing group in the Washington
University Genome Center in chicken genome
mapping and sequencing efforts. This project
has enjoyed interagency cooperation between
the USDA and NIH, which provided much of
the funding support for this effort. For
details, see the Chicken
Genome Sequencing White Paper.
Chicken Genome Assembled
The National Human Genome Research Institute
(NHGRI) announces that the first
draft of the chicken genome sequence has
been deposited into free public databases
for use by biomedical and agricultural researchers
around the globe.
Sequencing the Genome of Pig
Advances in pig gene identification, mapping,
and functional analysis have made rapid progress
through the Pig Genome Coordination Program,
funded through the NAGRP. For details, see
the Pig
Genome Sequencing White Paper.
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