Draft sequence of corn genome unveiled
February 28, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI
University in St. Louis researchers have completed a working draft of the corn genome, the second crop after rice to have its genome sequenced.
The research creates an important reference for research, especially in renewable energy and biofuels, similar in significance to the human genome sequence for biomedical research, according to the researchers
The two billion base pair corn genome was difficult to sequence because of its complex genetic arrangements. Corn has 50,000 to 60,000 genes, roughly double the number of human genes, and about 80 percent of the DNA segments are repeated. Transposons (mobile or “jumping” genes) make up a significant portion of the genome, further complicating sequencing efforts. The sequence data is now available online.
