Category Archives: Genome

The International Peanut Genome Initiative -- a group of multinational crop geneticists who have been working in tandem for the last several years -- has successfully sequenced the peanut's genome.

Scott Jackson, director of the University of Georgia Center for Applied Genetic Technologies in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, serves as chair of the International Peanut Genome Initiative, or IPGI.

The new peanut genome sequence will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive and more resilient peanut varieties.

Peanut, known scientifically as Arachis hypogaea and also called groundnut, is important both commercially and nutritionally. While the oil- and protein-rich legume is seen as a cash crop in the developed world, it remains a valuable sustenance crop in developing nations.

"The peanut crop is important in the United States, but it's very important for developing nations as well," Jackson said. "In many areas, it is a primary calorie source for families and a cash crop for farmers."

Globally, farmers tend about 24 million hectares of peanuts each year and produce about 40 million metric tons.

"Improving peanut varieties to be more drought-, insect- and disease-resistant can help farmers in developed nations produce more peanuts with fewer pesticides and other chemicals and help farmers in developing nations feed their families and build more secure livelihoods," said plant geneticist Rajeev Varshney of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics in India, who serves on the IPGI.

The effort to sequence the peanut genome has been underway for several years. While peanuts were successfully bred for intensive cultivation for thousands of years, relatively little was known about the legume's genetic structure because of its complexity, according to Peggy Ozias-Akins, a plant geneticist on the UGA Tifton campus who also works with the IPGI and is director of the UGA Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics.

"Until now, we've bred peanuts relatively blindly, as compared to other crops," said IPGI plant geneticist David Bertioli of the Universidade de Braslia. "We've had less information to work with than we do with many crops, which have been more thoroughly researched and understood."

The peanut in fields today is the result of a natural cross between two wild species, Arachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis, which occurred in north Argentina between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago. Because its ancestors were two different species, today's peanut is a polyploid, meaning the species can carry two separate genomes, designated A and B subgenomes.

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First peanut genome sequenced

Mlchael Desai - Genome Dynamics in Experimental Evolution
PROGRAM: School and Discussion Meeting on Population Genetics and Evolution PROGRAM LINK: http://www.icts.res.in/program/PGE2014 DATES: Saturday 15 Feb, 2014...

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The International Peanut Genome Initiative (IPGI), a multi-national group of crop geneticists working in cooperation for several years, has successfully sequenced the genome of peanut.

The new peanut genome sequence will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive, more resilient peanut varieties, according to the Hyderabad headquartered International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat).

Understanding the structure of the peanuts genome is expected to lay the groundwork for new varieties with traits like added disease resistance and drought tolerance.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also called groundnut, is an important crop both commercially and nutritionally. Globally, farmers tend about 24 million hectares of peanut each year, producing about 40 million tonnes.

While the oil and protein rich legume is seen as a cash crop in the developed world, it remains an important sustenance crop in developing nations.

Scott Jackson, director of the University of Georgia (UGA) Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, serves as chair of the IPGI, which brings together scientists from the United States, China, Brazil, India and Israel to delineate peanut genome sequences.

The peanut crop is important in the United States, but its very important for developing nations as well. In many areas, it is a primary calorie source for families and a cash crop for farmers,Jackson stated in a press release on Thursday.

Rich in protein and edible oil, peanut is central to the financial and nutritional well-being of hundreds of millions of farmers and consumers across the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, director general of Icrisat, William Dar, said.

Peanut is one of Icrisats mandate crops, along with chickpea, pigeon pea, sorghum and pearl millet.

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Crop geneticists sequence peanut's genome

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Peanuts are seemingly everywhere in the US. From cooking oils to candy bars, peanuts are a part of our lives, and a big business. And now, for the first time, a multinational group of crop geneticists has sequenced the peanut genome.

The researchers are from the International Peanut Genome Initiative (IPGI), led by Scott Jackson, who serves as chair of the IPGI. Jackson is also the director of the University of Georgia Center for Applied Genetic Technologies in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

The peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also called the groundnut, is an important global crop. In the developed world, it is viewed as a cash crop, while in developing countries it is a valuable sustenance crop. Approximately 24 million hectares of peanuts are farmed each year around the world, producing around 40 million metric tons of the oil-and protein-rich legume.

The peanut crop is important in the United States, but its very important for developing nations as well, Jackson said. In many areas, it is a primary calorie source for families and a cash crop for farmers.

The IPGI team plans to make the genome sequence available to other researchers and plant breeders to help in developing more productive and more resilient plant varieties.

Improving peanut varieties to be more drought-, insect- and disease-resistant can help farmers in developed nations produce more peanuts with fewer pesticides and other chemicals and help farmers in developing nations feed their families and build more secure livelihoods, said plant geneticist Rajeev Varshney of the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics in India, who serves on the IPGI.

The researchers have been working to sequence the peanut genome for several years. The peanut has been bred for intensive cultivation for thousands of years, but genetically it was relatively unknown. According to Peggy Ozias-Akins, a plant geneticist on the UGA Tifton campus who also works with the IPGI and is director of the UGA Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, this is because the peanuts genetic structure is very complex.

Until now, weve bred peanuts relatively blindly, as compared to other crops, said IPGI plant geneticist David Bertioli of the Universidade de Braslia. Weve had less information to work with than we do with many crops, which have been more thoroughly researched and understood.

The reason for the complexity is that the current crop of peanuts is the result of a natural cross between two completely separate wild speciesArachis duranensis and Arachis ipaensis. This cross happened in northern Argentina between 4,000 and 6,000 years ago. Todays peanut is a polyploid, which means that the species can carry two separate genomes. The scientists designate these as A and B subgenomes.

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Geneticists Map Genome Of An Important Global Crop: The Peanut

The International Peanut Genome Initiative (IPGI), a multi-national group of crop geneticists working in cooperation for several years, has successfully sequenced the genome of peanut.

The new peanut genome sequence will be available to researchers and plant breeders across the globe to aid in the breeding of more productive, more resilient peanut varieties, according to the Hyderabad headquartered International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat).

Understanding the structure of the peanuts genome is expected to lay the groundwork for new varieties with traits like added disease resistance and drought tolerance.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea), also called groundnut, is an important crop both commercially and nutritionally. Globally, farmers tend about 24 million hectares of peanut each year, producing about 40 million tonnes.

While the oil and protein rich legume is seen as a cash crop in the developed world, it remains an important sustenance crop in developing nations.

Scott Jackson, director of the University of Georgia (UGA) Institute of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Genomics at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, serves as chair of the IPGI, which brings together scientists from the United States, China, Brazil, India and Israel to delineate peanut genome sequences.

The peanut crop is important in the United States, but its very important for developing nations as well. In many areas, it is a primary calorie source for families and a cash crop for farmers,Jackson stated in a press release on Thursday.

Rich in protein and edible oil, peanut is central to the financial and nutritional well-being of hundreds of millions of farmers and consumers across the semi-arid tropics of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, director general of Icrisat, William Dar, said.

Peanut is one of Icrisats mandate crops, along with chickpea, pigeon pea, sorghum and pearl millet.

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Crop geneticists sequence genome of peanut

First Sequenced Genome in Space | Cutting Edge Group (2014)
First Sequenced Genome in Space | Cutting Edge Group (2014) Cutting Edge Group worked on the music for this ad. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com...

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Newswise Baltimore, Md. April 1, 2014. Researchers at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have been awarded a research program contract from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sequence, assemble, and annotate a population of bacterial pathogens using two high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies in support of the expansion of a vetted public reference database.

The continued development of HTS technologies for accurate identification of microorganisms for diagnostic use will have significant impact on human healthcare, biothreat response, food safety, and other areas. Developing a comprehensive, curated database of microbial genome sequences and associated metadata will serve as a valuable reference to evaluate and assess HTS-based diagnostic devices. Leading the sequencing and analysis phases of the project, the Genomics Resource Center (GRC) at the Institute is a cutting-edge genomic sequencing and analysis center with a long history of high-quality microbial genomics research that has sequenced and analyzed more than 5,000 microbial genome sequences in just the past five years.

The genome sequencing will use two HTS platforms, Illumina and Pacific Biosciences, and multiple genome assembler software packages and assembly QA/QC pipelines to assemble and validate the resulting draft genome sequences. By using two complementary sequencing platforms, GRC researchers will be able to cross-validate consensus sequences to generate the highest possible genome sequence accuracy. The comprehensive, curated database to which these annotated genome sequences will be added will enable high confidence confirmation of in vitro microbial pathogen identification. This database will be accessible through the collection of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)s public domain databases. The combination of genomic data and metadata will help to advance the goal of developing HTS-based in vitro diagnostics and the assessment of their potential.

The GRC was formed to serve the global genomics and bioinformatics communities, and its reputation is built on both its deep history in sequencing, genomics and analysis, and its end-to-end service level from initial project consultation through publication. The GRC is led by Luke Tallon, scientific director and founding leader of the GRC, and Lisa Sadzewicz, administrator director of the facility. We are excited to contribute our genome sequencing and analysis expertise to this important project with the FDA, says Tallon.

This database will be an important reference for the scientific and medical diagnostic communities, says Claire Fraser, PhD, Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences. We have worked with federal agencies and global scientific partners to sequence and analyze an extensive population of bacterial pathogens since our Institute launched in 2007 and are pleased to develop this reference database with the FDA.

The Institute for Genome Sciences is truly unique to an academic medical university because it houses cutting-edge sequencing technologies overseen by internationally renowned experts in the field who are deeply engaged in the research enterprise, says E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers distinguished professor and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. This award recognizes the strength of the University of Maryland School of Medicines genomics program, which will make significant contributions to better identifying and, ultimately, treating infectious diseases.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine Established in 1807, the University of Maryland School of Medicine is the first public medical school in the United States, the first to institute a residency-training program. The School of Medicine was the founding school of the University of Maryland and today is an integral part of the 11-campus University System of Maryland. On the University of Marylands Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine serves as the anchor for a large academic health center which aims to provide the best medical education, conduct the most innovative biomedical research and provide the best patient care and community service to Maryland and beyond. http://www.medschool.umaryland.edu

About the Institute for Genome Sciences The Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) is an international research center within the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Comprised of an interdisciplinary, multidepartment team of investigators, the Institute uses the powerful tools of genomics and bioinformatics to understand genome function in health and disease, to study molecular and cellular networks in a variety of model systems, and to generate data and bioinformatics resources of value to the international scientific community. http://www.igs.umaryland.edu

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Institute for Genome Sciences Awarded FDA Contract to Expand Genome Sequence Database for Pathogen Identification

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1-Apr-2014

Contact: Sarah Pick spick@som.umaryland.edu 410-707-2543 University of Maryland Medical Center

Baltimore, Md. -- April 1, 2014. Researchers at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have been awarded a research program contract from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sequence, assemble, and annotate a population of bacterial pathogens using two high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies in support of the expansion of a vetted public reference database.

The continued development of HTS technologies for accurate identification of microorganisms for diagnostic use will have significant impact on human healthcare, biothreat response, food safety, and other areas. Developing a comprehensive, curated database of microbial genome sequences and associated metadata will serve as a valuable reference to evaluate and assess HTS-based diagnostic devices. Leading the sequencing and analysis phases of the project, the Genomics Resource Center (GRC) at the Institute is a cutting-edge genomic sequencing and analysis center with a long history of high-quality microbial genomics research that has sequenced and analyzed more than 5,000 microbial genome sequences in just the past five years.

The genome sequencing will use two HTS platforms, Illumina and Pacific Biosciences, and multiple genome assembler software packages and assembly QA/QC pipelines to assemble and validate the resulting draft genome sequences. By using two complementary sequencing platforms, GRC researchers will be able to cross-validate consensus sequences to generate the highest possible genome sequence accuracy. The comprehensive, curated database to which these annotated genome sequences will be added will enable high confidence confirmation of in vitro microbial pathogen identification. This database will be accessible through the collection of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI)'s public domain databases. The combination of genomic data and metadata will help to advance the goal of developing HTS-based in vitro diagnostics and the assessment of their potential.

The GRC was formed to serve the global genomics and bioinformatics communities, and its reputation is built on both its deep history in sequencing, genomics and analysis, and its end-to-end service level from initial project consultation through publication. The GRC is led by Luke Tallon, scientific director and founding leader of the GRC, and Lisa Sadzewicz, administrator director of the facility. "We are excited to contribute our genome sequencing and analysis expertise to this important project with the FDA," says Tallon.

"This database will be an important reference for the scientific and medical diagnostic communities," says Claire Fraser, PhD, Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences. "We have worked with federal agencies and global scientific partners to sequence and analyze an extensive population of bacterial pathogens since our Institute launched in 2007 and are pleased to develop this reference database with the FDA."

"The Institute for Genome Sciences is truly unique to an academic medical university because it houses cutting-edge sequencing technologies overseen by internationally renowned experts in the field who are deeply engaged in the research enterprise," says E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, vice president for medical affairs at the University of Maryland, and John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers distinguished professor and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "This award recognizes the strength of the University of Maryland School of Medicine's genomics program, which will make significant contributions to better identifying and, ultimately, treating infectious diseases."

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UM Institute for Genome Sciences receives FDA contract to expand genome sequence database

Obake - Human Genome Project
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Digitizing Life: Venter gets excited about Human Genome Project
J Craig Venter discusses how he first understood the medical potential of sequencing the human genome. Venter also proclaims La Jolla as the new center of ge...

By: Bradley Fikes

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Digitizing Life: Venter gets excited about Human Genome Project - Video