(Press-News.org) Swedish scientists have mapped the gene sequence of Norway spruce (the Christmas tree) – a species with huge economic and ecological importance - and that is the largest genome to have ever been mapped. The genome is complex and seven times larger than that of humans. The results have been published in the prestigious journal Nature.
This major research project has been led by Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) in Umeå and the Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) in Stockholm.
In addition to its scientific interest this new knowledge has immense importance to the forestry industry in many countries.
"Forest tree breeding is now entering a new era, and Sweden has the potential to be in the forefront of development," says Professor Ove Nilsson from UPSC. "Newer and more effective methods can begin to be used to ensure that the over 200 million tree seedlings planted each year in Sweden are as strong, healthy and well-adapted as possible for both poor and rich soil areas in different parts of the country."
The scientists have identified about 29,000 functional genes, marginally more than humans have, but the question arises: why is the spruce genome still seven times larger than ours? According to the study an explanation is "genome obesity" caused by extensive repetitive DNA sequences, which have accumulated for several hundred million years of evolutionary history. Other plant and animal species have efficient mechanisms to eliminate such repetitive DNA, but these do not seem to operate so well in conifers.
"It is remarkable that the spruce is doing so well despite this unnecessary genetic load," says Professor Pär Ingvarsson at UPSC. "Of course, some of this DNA has a function but it seems strange that it would be beneficial to have so very much. This appears to be something special for conifers."
The greatest challenge in the project has been to get the approximately 20 billion "letters" found in spruce's genetic code into the correct order, rather than obtaining the actual DNA sequences.
"Imagine a library with ten thousand books as thick as the bible, written in a language with only four letters," explains Professor Stefan Jansson at UPSC. "If someone took one hundred identical copies of each of the ten thousand titles, passed them all through a document shredder and mixed all the shreds, and you then were asked to piece together an accurate copy of each title, you can realize that it can be a bit problematic."
"We had to customise computers and rewrite many of the computer programmes used in similar studies in order to handle the large amount of DNA sequences," says Professor Joakim Lundeberg from SciLifeLab. The national data storage system was stretched to the limit, and there were many other practical problems that had to be solved along the way to pull through the project.
"But the timing was optimal; when the new DNA sequencing machines were unpacked at our newly established laboratory, DNA arrived from our model spruce tree. By sequencing and analysing the largest genome in the world so far, we have shown that SciLifeLab has both technical and scientific capacity for research at the highest international level," concludes Joakim Lundeberg.
INFORMATION:
About the project:
The project was funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences as the main applicant. Scientists from UPSC (Umeå University and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and Science for Life Laboratory (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet) have participated in the project. Several international leading scientists have also been involved as collaborative partners. The entire project has had a budget of 75 million SEK , in comparison with mapping the human genome which was a significantly higher; 20 billion SEK .
About Umeå Plant Science Centre:
Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) is one of Europe's strongest research centres in the area of experimental plant biology. The centre consists of two departments, one at Umeå University and the other at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. UPSC has nearly 200 staff members, including approximately 40 research groups. http://www.upsc.se
About Science for Life Laboratory:
Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) was established in 2010 and is a centre for large-scale biosciences with the focus on health and environmental research. The centre combines advanced technical know-how and state-of-the art equipment with a broad knowledge of translational medicine and molecular bioscience. Platforms in genomics, comparative genetics, proteomics, functional biology, bioimaging and functional genomics are complemented with research communities (programmes) in biology, medicine and environmental sciences. SciLifeLab is collaboration between four universities: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and Uppsala University.
http://www.scilifelab.se
Original publication:
Nystedt, B. et al. The Norway spruce genome sequence and conifer genome evolution. Nature.
Photos, film sequence and more reading:
Ten photos: http://www.exigus.se/paket9963/29169e1508f36aa4af114483bc20910f.html
Film sequence: https://vimeo.com/umu/spruce (password: spruce_genome)
Article: Gigantic spruce genome sequenced (not yet published on UmU website)
For more information, please contact:
Pär Ingvarsson, professor
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Umeå University
Stefan Jansson, professor
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Umeå University
Phone: +46-70-677 23 31
E-mail: stefan.jansson@umu.se
Joakim Lundeberg, Professor
Science for Life Laboratory
School of Biotechnology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Phone: +46-8-52481469
E-mail: joakim.lundeberg@scilifelab.se
Ove Nilsson, professor
Umeå Plant Science Centre
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Phone: 070-286 90 82
E-mail: ove.nilsson@slu.se
The Norway spruce genome sequenced
2013-05-23
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Researchers reveal model of Sun's magnetic field
2013-05-23
Researchers at the Universities of Leeds and Chicago have uncovered an important mechanism behind the generation of astrophysical magnetic fields such as that of the Sun.
Scientists have known since the 18th Century that the Sun regularly oscillates between periods of high and low solar activity in an 11-year cycle, but have been unable to fully explain how this cycle is generated.
In the 'Information Age', it has become increasingly important to be able to understand the Sun's magnetic activity, as it is the changes in its magnetic field that are responsible for ...
Fragile mega-galaxy is missing link in history of cosmos
2013-05-23
Irvine, Calif. – Two hungry young galaxies that collided 11 billion years ago are rapidly forming a massive galaxy about 10 times the size of the Milky Way, according to UC Irvine-led research published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Capturing the creation of this type of large, short-lived star body is extremely rare – the equivalent of discovering a missing link between winged dinosaurs and early birds, said the scientists, who relied on the once-powerful Herschel space telescope and observatories around the world. The new mega-galaxy, dubbed HXMM01, "is the brightest, ...
Pinpointing how nature's benefits link to human well-being
2013-05-23
What people take from nature – water, food, timber, inspiration, relaxation – are so abundant, it seems self-evident. Until you try to quantitatively understand how and to what extent they contribute to humans.
In today's world, where competition for and degradation of natural resources increases globally, it becomes ever more crucial to quantify the value of ecosystem services – the precise term that defines nature's benefits, and even more important to link how different types of ecosystem services affect various components of human well-being.
Scientists at Michigan ...
The tropical upper atmosphere 'fingerprint' of global warming
2013-05-23
In the tropics at heights more than 10 miles above the surface, the prevailing winds alternate between strong easterlies and strong westerlies roughly every other year. This slow heartbeat in the tropical upper atmosphere, referred to as the quasibiennial oscillation (QBO), impacts the winds and chemical composition of the global atmosphere and even the climate at Earth's surface.
The pulse of the QBO has weakened substantially at some altitudes over the last six decades, according to a new study by scientists at the International Pacific Research Center, University ...
Scientists develop worm EEG to test the effects of drugs
2013-05-23
Scientists from the University of Southampton have developed a device which records the brain activity of worms to help test the effects of drugs.
NeuroChip is a microfluidic electrophysiological device, which can trap the microscopic worm Caenorhadbitis elegans and record the activity of discrete neural circuits in its 'brain' - a worm equivalent of the EEG.
C. elegans have been enormously important in providing insight into fundamental signalling processes in the nervous system and this device opens the way for a new analysis. Prior to this development, electrophysiological ...
Detecting mirror molecules
2013-05-23
Harvard physicists have developed a novel technique that can detect molecular variants in chemical mixtures – greatly simplifying a process that is one of the most important, though time-consuming, processes in analytical chemistry.
As described in a paper in Nature, post-doctoral researcher David Patterson, Professor of Physics John Doyle and Dr. Melanie Schnell of the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL) in Hamburg, Germany developed a system that relies on finely-tuned microwave fields to identify molecular variants apart, and to determine how much variant ...
Small, speedy plant-eater extends knowledge of dinosaur ecosystems
2013-05-23
Dinosaurs are often thought of as large, fierce animals, but new research highlights a previously overlooked diversity of small dinosaurs. In the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, a team of paleontologists from the University of Toronto, Royal Ontario Museum, Cleveland Museum of Natural History and University of Calgary have described a new dinosaur, the smallest plant-eating dinosaur species known from Canada. Albertadromeus syntarsus was identified from a partial hind leg, and other skeletal elements, that indicate it was a speedy runner. Approximately 1.6 m (5 ft) ...
More emphasis needed on recycling and reuse of Li-ion batteries
2013-05-23
The discovery of potential environmental and human health effects from disposal of millions of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries each year has led scientists to recommend stronger government policies to encourage recovery, recycling and reuse of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery materials. That's the conclusion of a new paper in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Oladele A. Ogunseitan and colleagues point out that Li-ion batteries have become mainstays for powering everything from smart phones to components in new jetliners, with global sales approaching ...
Overcoming resistance to anti-cancer drugs by targeting cell 'powerhouses'
2013-05-23
Re-routing anti-cancer drugs to the "power plants" that make energy to keep cells alive is a promising but long-neglected approach to preventing emergence of the drug-resistant forms of cancer — source of a serious medical problem, scientists are reporting. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the journal ACS Chemical Biology.
Shana Kelley and colleagues explain that doxorubicin and other common forms of chemotherapy work by damaging the genes inside the nucleus of cancer cells. Cancer cells divide and multiply faster than surrounding normal cells, making ...
Children of married parents less likely to be obese
2013-05-23
Children living in households where the parents are married are less likely to be obese, according to new research from Rice University and the University of Houston.
"Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue in our country, with nearly one-third of all U.S. children ages 2-17 overweight or obese," said Rachel Kimbro, study co-author, associate professor of sociology at Rice and director of Rice's Kinder Institute Urban Health Program. "Despite this, very little research has been conducted to explore the impact of family structure on this epidemic."
In ...