Pig Genome Update No. 35angenmap@iastate.eduMarch 1, 1999 |
1. New grant funds are being made available.
2. New Tools: A new set (set VII) of 51 primer pairs is now available.
3. AFLPs primers may be available in the future.
4. The RH panel for swine will soon be available.
5. The Plant and Animal Genome VII meetings were a real success.
6. Other excellent meetings were recently held.
7. Database and web site changes are continuing.
8. New U.S. node for PIGBASE is fully functioning.
9. Call for register for a special conference:
"From Jay Lush to Genomics: Visions for Animal Breeding and Genetics"
10. Upcoming meetings. |
New grant funds are being made available. Thanks to some great efforts by many people, the NRI grant program included a section for larger, collaborative efforts to develop new tools for mapping. While this is a great start, we continue to need to talk to our administrators, commodity groups and our colleagues to make animal genomics an important issue for more future funding. Take some time and visit with people who make these decisions.
New Tools: A new set (set VII) of 51 primer pairs is now available. This makes the total of fluorescent primers now to be 304 pairs. Please continue to make use of them and also be sure to acknowledge their source as it helps to improve cooperation and coordination activities.
AFLPs primers may be available in the future. The Genome Coordinators are working together to determine the level of interest in obtaining AFLP primers. If you are interested in such primers, please contact M.F. Rothschild by no later than March 15. Other ideas for additional tools are encouraged.
The RH panel for swine will soon be available. Developed at INRA in Toulouse and tested extensively by the University of Minnesota the panel is now ready for distribution. To obtain aliquots please contact Larry Schook at schoo009@maroon.tc.umn.edu. Some funding will be provided by the US Pig Genome Coordinator to support this distribution activity.
The Plant and Animal Genome VII meetings were a real success. A total of over 1,350 people attended PAGVII of which 285 were animal genome scientists. The meeting featured some excellent plenary talks on subjects like linkage disequilibrim mapping (D. Cohen), micro laboratories on a chip (A. de Mello), MAS techniques (J. Dekkers), plant breeeding dogma (W. Beavis), pine genome status (C. Williams), DNA analysis of Zea mays (J. Messing), padlock probes for high capacity genetic analysis (U. Langren) and comparative genomics, bioinformatics and protein sequences (A. Kerlavage, N. Young, A. Mushegian). In addition, we heard from a biotechnology critic of advances made through biotechnology (M.Mellon) and even a political report on new initiatives from Sen. Harkin's aide. An excellent set of workshops included those on computer techniques, DNA sequencing, animal coat color and one especially informative one on comparative QTL for body composition traits in pigs, cattle, mice and humans. Results from this workshop will eventually placed at the Pig Genome WWW home page. The meetings also provided excellent opportunities to meet and discuss issues with our colleagues.
The swine species committee met in two sessions at PAGVII. The sessions included talks on the RH panel evaluation (L. Alexander), comparative mapping (C. Ernst), horizontal gene transfer (C. Bidwell), and RN evaluation (K. Miller). The meeting also included station reports from nearly all the stations and adviser and coordinator reports.
Other excellent meetings were recently held. The AAAS meetings in Anaheim, CA were quite good and included sections on genetics and reproduction and genomics. The Gordon Conference on Quantitative Genetics and Biotechnolgy also met with talks on genetic theory, MAS, comparative genomics, detection of QTLs and fine mapping.
Database and web site changes are continuing. The new site is at http://www.genome.iastate.edu . The old URL will still function for a few months. During this transition period, however, we urge you to update your bookmarks. The new address for ANGENMAP will be: angenmap@db.genome.iastate.edu. With the new list service software, we are able to configure the list to automatically filter out unwanted mails, mass commercial mailings, list sub/unsub requests, and restrict the postings to those from the list subscribers.
New U.S. node for PIGBASE. The U.S. node for PIGBASE is fully functioning and ready to accept queries. Now the North American users can use this site for faster transmission speed. You can access the U.S. node for PIGBASE through the U.S. PIG GENE MAPPING Coordination Program web site: http://www.genome.iastate.edu . Please email to webmaster@db.genome.iastate.edu if you observe any broken links or encounter any difficulties on this site. The new U.S. node for the Chicken Genome Database is also now completed and can be reached at the above address.
It is not too late to register for a special conference: From Jay Lush to Genomics: Visions for Animal Breeding and Genetics which will be held May 16-18, 1999 at Iowa State University Ames, Iowa. This not-to-be-missed conference will bring together quantitative and molecular geneticists from industry, government, and academe to discuss the future of animal breeding and genetics in light of changes in the fields of molecular genetics and bioinformatics. The program will feature eleven plenary lectures by renowned international scientists and a poster session of current research by participants. The schedule is arranged to encourage participant interaction and discussion. Information on the program and speakers can be found at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~ans/graduate/visions.html .
Upcoming meetings:
- Human Genome Meeting (HGM'99): Brisbane, Australia, March 27-30, for details contact: hgm99@cmcb.uq.edu.au or can be found at http://www.cmcb.uq.edu.au/hgm99 .
- From Jay Lush to Genomics: Visions for Animal Breeding and Genetics: May 16-18, 1999 at Iowa State University Ames, IA. Information at: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~ans/graduate/visions.html .
- 50th Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP): August 22 - 26, 1999 in Zurich (Switzerland). Information at: http://eaap-1999-zurich.ethz.ch .
- International Society of Animal Genetics: Minneapolis, MN, USA will be held July 24-27, 2000. Contact Brian Kirkpatrick at bwkirkpat@facstaff.wisc.edu.
Max Rothschild
U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator
2255 Kildee Hall, Department of Animal Science
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011
Phone: 515-294-6202, Fax: 515-294-2401
mfrothsc@iastate.edu
cc: Dick Frahm, CSREES and Roger Gerrits, ARS
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