JGI announces collaborative agreement to sequence Fugu genome

Gary Van Domselaar • November 1, 2000

JGI announces collaborative agreement to sequence Fugu genome

"BERKELEY, CA – Scientists searching the human genome data for genes and the DNA sequences that control their activity will soon have a valuable new resource, courtesy of the Japanese delicacy known as Fugu (Fugu rubripes), the puffer fish. An international consortium, led by researchers at the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has announced a collaborative agreement to sequence the Fugu genome.

Although the Fugu genome contains essentially the same genes and regulatory sequences as the human genome, it carries those genes and regulatory sequences in approximately 400 million bases as compared to the 3 billion bases that make up human DNA. With far less so-called "junk" DNA to sort through, finding genes and controlling sequences in the Fugu genome should be a much easier task. The information can then be used to help identify these same elements in the human genome. Said Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, "This genetic information from a distantly related vertebrate will help us read the book of human life with new understanding and knowledge. Given the major contributions already made to the human genome project by the Energy Department's Joint Genome Institute and their tremendous capability to decode DNA, this new effort is a logical and exciting next step in the project."

Full Story:
http://www.jgi.doe.gov/tempweb/News/fugu_press10_25.htm

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