Roadmap of Chromosome 7 Revealed

The combined efforts of more than 90 scientists from 10 countries have resulted in the complete DNA sequencing of human chromosome 7. The sequence appeared in the April 10, 2003, issue of Science.

Investigators led by a group from the University of Toronto (Canada) found that chromosome 7 contains 158 million nucleotides of DNA (5% of the genome) and 1,455 genes (of the estimated 28,000 protein-coding genes in the human genome), some of which are related to diseases such as cystic fibrosis, leukemia, and autism. Their report also describes the location of sites along the chromosome where invading viruses integrate, "fragile” regions prone to breakage, and primate-specific genes.

Senior author Dr. Stephen Scherer, associate professor in the department of molecular and medical genetics at the University of Toronto, said, "We combined all information in public and private databases, including data generated by Celera Genomics, as well 15 years of our data and analyses to generate what we believe is the most comprehensive description of any human chromosome.”

The chromosome 7 database is publicly available on the Internet (www.chr7.org) after Science lifts the embargo.