Mongolian genomes
August 24, 2011 in NEWS by Suzanne Elvidge
Inner Mongolia Agricultural University (IMAU) and BGI, a China-based genome sequencing centre, have sequenced the entire genomes of four Inner Mongolian species – the Mongolian sheep, Alxa Bactrian camel, Mongolian horse and Mongolian cattle.
Source: www.mongolia-pictures.co.uk
These genomes have potential for research into livestock breeding, as well as investigation of economic traits such as disease resistance or meat quality. The research revealed the genome sizes of the four species:
- Mongolian sheep – 3 Gb
- Alxa Bactrian camel – 2.4 Gb
- Mongolian horse – 2.8 Gb
- Mongolian cattle – 2.8 Gb
This is part of BGI’s 1000 Plant and Animal Reference Genomes Project, with a goal to sequence the genomes of a thousand economically and scientifically important plant and animal species.
BGI has also sequenced the genome of the CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) K1 cell line, used on biological and medical research.
