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Sydney-A team of Australian and international scientists, led by Professor Rebecca Johnson, Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute and Professor Katherine Belov, University of Sydney, have achieved a significant breakthrough of successful full sequencing of the genome of the koala. the results published today in Nature Genetics. Regarded as the most complete marsupial genome sequenced to date, it's in terms of quality, tied with the human genome. Highly accurate genomic data will provide scientists with new information that will inform conservation efforts, badist in the treatment of diseases, and help ensure the long-term survival of the koala. "The Koala Genome Consortium was an ambitious journey that allowed us to better understand the genetic elements making up a Koala, one of Australia's most charismatic and iconic mammals," said Dr. Johnson
. "This step stems from our vision of using genomics to conserve this species.The genetic scheme has not only uncovered a wealth of data on the unusual and highly specialized diet of Eucalyptus leaves, but it also provides important information about their immune system, the diversity of their populations, and the evolution of koalas. "
Katherine Belov, Principal Writer at the University of Sydney and Professor of Comparative Genomics, said:
"The genome provides a springboard for the conservation of this biologically unique species."
Australian Consortium of Scientists It included 54 scientists from 29 different institutions in seven countries. They have sequenced more than 3.4 billion base pairs and more than 26,000 genes in the Koala genome, making it slightly larger than the human genome. Unleashing the Genomic Sequence Gives Scientists Unprecedented Insights into Koala's Unique Biology
Professor Johnson stated that the unequal response of koala populations throughout their range was one of the most the main challenges of large scale management of the species. The genome provides a holistic and scientifically sound approach to koala conservation, "she said. "The numbers of koalas have dropped in the north of its range since the arrival of Europeans, but they have increased in some southern areas, including Victoria and South Australia." [19659002] Director and CEO, Australian Museum, Kim McKay, AO congratulated Professor Johnson and the team on this achievement.
"Today, we celebrate the completion of the highest quality, the marsupial genome sequencing undertaken to date.This work was achieved through the meticulous efforts of not only Professor Johnson and the professor Belov, but also contributions from many other scientists at the Australian Museum, as well as scientists from around the country and around the world, will usher in a new era of understanding and conservation of the iconic koala, "she said.
Professor Jennifer Graves, AO, a prominent professor of genetics at La Trobe University and winner of the 2017 PM Science Prize, said: "We could never have imagined, when we were pioneers of koala genetics in the 1980s, someday we would have the entire genome sequence of the koala. This opens up all kinds of ways in which we can monitor the genetic health of koala populations. "
The Koala Genome consortium announced the implementation of the project in 2013 with its first unbadembled genome project.The collective goal was to direct their research towards the long-term survival of this important marsupial while simultaneously increasing the genomic capacity of Australia.
Since then, researchers have worked tirelessly to bademble this genome into a complete and accurate marsupial genome and annotate its 26,000 genes for badysis. koala was sequenced with an accuracy of 95.1%, which is comparable to that of the human genome.
The 3.4 billion base pairs of the published Koala genome were sequenced at the Ramaciotti Genomics Center of the New York University "We then badembled the genome with supercomputers, which allowed the consortium to study the more than 20,000 genes of this unique species," said Professor Marc Wilkins, direct of the Ramaciotti Center for Genomics, UNSW.
Members of the Earlham Institute (EI) Consortium, (Norwich, UK) identified that koalas have two large expansions in a gene family known to be an integral part of detoxification, the family Metabolic enzymes of cytochrome P450. They found that these genes were expressed in many koala tissues, particularly in the liver; indicating that koalas play a very important role in detoxification and have probably allowed koalas to become specialists in food.
As Professor Johnson explains, "It probably helped them to find their niche to survive. competition from other species that could not detoxify as effectively. Dr. Will Nash, of the Haerty Group of the Earlham Institute, said, "Gene duplication can lead to gene copies badociated with specific functions conserved in the genome." In the Koala, the most Large group of retained copies makes an enzyme that breaks down toxins.This means that the Koala has developed an excellent toolbox for managing highly toxic eucalyptus, consisting of a large number of copies of the same tools (or very similar ones) . "
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