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Decoding a national treasure

2010; Nature Portfolio; Volume: 463; Issue: 7279 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1038/463303a

1476-4687

Kim C. Worley, Richard A. Gibbs,

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques

The giant-panda genome is the first reported de novo assembly of a large mammalian genome achieved using next-generation sequencing methods. The feat reflects a trend towards ever-decreasing genome-sequencing costs. The genome of the giant panda — specifically of the female Beijing Olympics mascot Jingjing — has been determined using short-read sequencing technology, a first for such a complex genome. It consists of some 2.4 billion DNA base pairs, compared to 3 billion in humans, and contains around 21,000 protein-encoding genes, similar to the human genome. Genomic diversity reflected in the sequence is high, raising hopes that despite a population of only about 2,500, conservation efforts can keep the species from extinction. Intriguingly, the panda appears to have all the genes needed for a carnivorous digestive system but lacks digestive cellulase genes. It may therefore depend on its gut microbiome to handle its famously limited bamboo diet. Taste may be a diet-limiting factor: loss of function of the T1R1 gene means that pandas may not experience the umami taste associated with high-protein foods. Technical aspects of this work pave the way for the use of next-generation sequencing for rapid de novo assembly of large eukaryotic genomes.