The bovine genome is similar in size to the genomes of humans and other mammals, with an estimated size of 3 billion base pairs. Besides its potential for improving dairy and meat products and enhancing food safety, adding the genomic sequence of the cow (Bos taurus) to the growing list of sequenced animal genomes will help researchers learn more about the human genome. The genomic DNA sequencing activities will be carried out by Baylor College of Medicine’s Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston, while the full-length cDNA sequencing (the sequencing of genes) will be carried out at the sequencing platform of Genome British Columbia, located at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver and at the University of Alberta.
“This project is an excellent example of what can happen through public/private partnerships,” said Ann Veneman, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “Sequencing the bovine genome is a vital first step that will lay the groundwork for breakthroughs that will benefit both human health and agriculture. Eliminating hunger, improving nutrition and reducing agriculture’s impact on the environment are all potential outcomes of this research.”
This joint sequencing effort is a collaboration among the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); USDA; the state of Texas; Genome Canada; The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization of Australia; and Agritech Investments Ltd (a subsidiary of Meat New Zealand), Dairy Insight Inc. and AgResearch Ltd, all of New Zealand.