Second Non-Human Primate Genome Sequenced

A multi-center team has completed the draft genome sequence of the rhesus macaque monkey (Macaca mulatta).

The rhesus macaque is the second non-human primate, after the chimpanzee (Pan troglodyte), to have its genome sequenced, and is the first of the Old World monkeys to have its DNA deciphered. Overall, the rhesus genome shares about 92-95% of its sequence with the human (Homo sapiens) genome and more than 98% with the chimpanzee.

The sequencing of the rhesus genome was conducted at the Baylor College of Medicine Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston (TX, USA), the Genome Sequencing Center at Washington University
(St. Louis, MO, USA), and the J. Craig Venter Institute (Rockville, MD USA), which are all part of the Large Scale Sequencing Research Network of the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI, Bethesda, MD, USA). The DNA samples used in the sequencing came from a female rhesus macaque at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (San Antonio, TX, USA).

Independent assemblies of the rhesus genome data were carried out at each of the three sequencing centers using different and complementary approaches. A team led by Granger Sutton, Ph.D., at the J. Craig Venter Institute, joined the data into a single, high-density draft, or "melded assembly.” This new, high-quality assembly, which covers 3% of the rhesus genome, will enable researchers to make evolutionary comparisons and gene predictions for this important organism.

The rhesus macaque is the major non-human primate used for the study of human disease and also has an important role in drug development. In addition, due to its response to the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the rhesus is considered to be the best animal model for studying human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. It also serves as a valuable model for studying other human infectious diseases and for vaccine research. Sequencing is also underway on the genomes of a number of other primates, including the orangutan, marmoset and gorilla.



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