Pig Genome Update No. 57angenmap@db.genome.iastate.eduNovember 1, 2002 |
A porcine genome sequencing "White Paper" was submitted to NHGRI this past month. Thanks to the efforts of Gary Rohrer, USDA-ARS, US Meat Animal Research Center; Jonathan E. Beever, University of Illinois; Max F. Rothschild, Iowa State University; Larry Schook (corresponding author) University of Illinois; and Richard Gibbs and George Weinstock, Baylor College of Medicine, Human Genome Sequencing Center, the "White Paper" is now being considered and will hopefully obtain "high priority ranking." In addition to the efforts of the authors, the White Paper received solid backing from our colleagues abroad in Denmark, China and France and solid support from industry personnel from many companies and organizations. We thank each of them for their support. NHGRI has rated the chicken genome as a "high priority" (see www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10002154.) for full genome sequencing, along with those of the cow, dog, chimpanzee, honeybee, sea urchin, T. thermophila, and several fungi. This doesn't necessarily mean that sequencing on all these genomes will begin soon because funding is still to be worked out. The Washington U. Genome Center has recently been granted permission to begin work on the chicken and chimp gene sequences. Genome sequencing was the topic for discussion at the Interagency Working Group on Domestic Animal Genomics Scientific Stakeholders meeting that was held in Washington DC October 11. Dr. Joseph Jen, USDA, Undersecretary for Research, Education and Economics, serves as coordinator of the Domestic Animal Genome Interagency Work Group and chaired the meeting. Those representing porcine interests were Fuller Bazer, Gary Rohrer and Max Rothschild. The meeting produced lively discussion on how additional funding could be obtained for the five major animal species (chicken, pig, cow, dog and cat). Several ideas were considered and efforts are ongoing to find the considerable funding that would be required. The help of the Alliance for Animal Genome Research has been appreciated. Grants update - don't be late! The 2003 USDA-CSREES NRI grant program RFA has been posted at www.reeusda.gov/nri/programs/programs.htm. Deadline dates for the Animal Genome and Genetic Mechanisms (43.0) and the associated Animal Genome: Basic Reagents and Tools (43.1) programs have been moved forward to January 15, 2003 this year! (For FY 2004, these deadline dates will move even earlier, to Dec. 1, 2003.) Peter Brayton of NRI has alerted us that Bioinformatics applications may be submitted to both the Reagents and Tools program just mentioned and to program 44.0, Animal Health & Well-Being, deadline date, December 1, 2002. Congratulations go to Dr. Richard Frahm, USDA-CSREES Director of the National Animal Genome Research Program, who has announced his intention to retire as of the end of 2002. Dick has supplied leadership to our program for ten years now. This has been invaluable to us all and he'll be greatly missed. Happily, we've persuaded him to attend one more PAMG meeting this January in San Diego, so most of us will get a chance to thank him in person. Please come and wish him well. A pig gene array is still being considered but IP issues have slowed progress. The US Pig Genome Coordinator is working on making pig gene microarray materials available to each lab at a reduced cost. To date several companies have suggested interest. Intellectual property issues related to data, chip design, use and sharing have slowed the progress but we continue to hope that language agreeable to all parties can be reached. For information, please contact the US Pig Genome Coordinator at mfrothsc@iastate.edu . Page 2 Pig Genome Update 57
Plant, Animal & Microbe Genomes XI will again be at the Town & Country Convention Center in San Diego, CA, from Saturday, January 11 through Wednesday, January 15, 2003. The Swine Workshop/NRSP8 meeting will begin at 9:30 am Saturday, Jan. 11 and has an excellent program that shouldn't be missed (see http://www.intl-pag.org/11/11-swine.html ). Advanced registration (at lower price) must be submitted by November 1! Please see www.intl-pag.org/ to view the program and register. As usual, some support will be available from the Coordinators for NRSP-8 member and student participation, including the Neal Jorgensen Travel Award for Swine (send letter and abstract by November 1). If interested, please email mfrothsc@iastate.edu . Renewal proposal for NRSP-8 making progress! The new objectives will focus on: 1. Mapping and comparative genomics as they lead to the development and use of full genome sequences; 2. Functional genomics; and 3. Informatics. Cathy Ernst is coordinating the overall writing team. Draft proposals are being revised with E-1 (effort) forms collected from Ag Experiment Stations soon. Please visit with your station director and get his/her support! The final and complete proposal is due to by Dec. 1, 2002. Upcoming meetings (see: http://www.genome.iastate.edu/community/meetings.html ).- National Swine Improvement Federation (NSIF) will meet December 5-6 in
Nashville, TN. For information please email stalder@utd.edu .
- Plant, Animal and Microbial Genome XI, and NAGRP, Jan. 11-15, 2003,
Town & Country Convention Center, San Diego, CA. For more information
see information on the web at www.intl-pag.org/.
- Advances in Genome Biology & Technology (joint with Automation in
Mapping and DNA Sequencing), February 5-8, 2003, Marco Island, Florida.
See www.agbt.org.
- International Symposium on Animal Functional Genomics, May 9-11, 2003,
Kellogg Center, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. Email
rosag@msu.edu for more info.
- The John M. Airy Beef Cattle Symposium 2003: Visions for Genetics and Breeding May 15-17, 2003 in Des Moines, Iowa will be hosted by Iowa State University. For more information contact James Reecy at jreecy@iastate.edu.
Items for Pig Genome Update 58 can be sent to me by no later than December 15 please.
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
| U.S. PIG GENOME COORDINATION PROJECT | ||
|
http://www.genome.iastate.edu/ Mailing list: angenmap@db.genome.iastate.edu | |
© US Pig Genome Coordination Program