Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in collaboration with the Vertebrate Genomes Project have mapped the genetic blueprints of 51 species, including cats, dolphins, kangaroos, penguins, sharks, and turtles, with many more to go as part of their goal to produce reference genomes for all ~1.8 million known eukaryotic species over the next decade.
“Being able to access that genetic information will have huge implications for understanding human health and evolution,” said Michael Schatz, lead author of the latest paper. “A lot of work on drug compounds starts in mice and other animal models, so understanding their genomes and the genomes of other animals directly benefits us.”
The group’s recent study, published in Nature Biotechnology, investigated the use of novel algorithms and computer software to reduce sequencing time from months (or even decades, as seen with the human genome) to mere days.
To test their assembly and evaluation software, the team mapped the genome of the zebra finch, a songbird that had already been sequenced to study brain development. Their open-source software was found to be far better at reassembling segments of the genome, creating a more accurate and complete map than traditional methods of assembling vertebrate genomes.
The open-source software is available online via Galaxy, a web-based platform, based at Johns Hopkins and Penn State, that offers scientific software for free to the public and supports half a million scientists and educators worldwide.
“In the past, only a handful of elite research groups would have had access to the resources needed to assemble these genomes. Now, anyone on the planet with access to the internet can visit the website and, with a few clicks of the button, run multiple scientific tools,” said Alex Ostrovsky, a co-author on the paper.