Twilights Genes

On February 7 2007 leaders of the international Horse Genome Sequencing Project announced that they had successfully sequenced the genome of the domestic horse (Equus caballus). The DNA used for the project was from a Thoroughbred mare named Twilight from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Sequencing the horse genome began in 2006 after a 10 year effort by scientists to use genomics to identify health problems affecting horses. After $15 million from the National Human Genome Research Institute the approximately 2.7 billion base pairs of the equine genome was sequenced and made available to veterinary and biomedical researchers through public databases.
Genomics is a rapidly expanding field of biological research which sequences the genomes of many different species. The human, mouse and chimpanzees are just some of the species whose genome has been sequenced and compared. Genomics is important because it allows scientists to study evolutionary changes and to develop new ways to identify and treat disease. As well as sequencing the horse genome scientists have also produced a map of genetic variation across different horse breeds to help them distinguish which genes contribute to physical and behavioural variations. In addition to this scientists can also investigate genetic conditions found in horses, which are similar to human disorders to perhaps identify disease susceptibility.
In the coming months, scientists plan to improve the horse genome sequence and to make it more widely available. Scientists also plan to analyze the horse genome sequence and its affects on population genetics, with a view to publish these findings in the future.

Rebecca Welsh 40993265


National Human Genome Research Institute (USA)
http://www.genome.gov/20519480


Horse Genome Project
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horsemap/