News Section | Genomics
Genome sequence of Eucalyptus tree decoded
A team of international researchers have made the complete genome sequence of the forest tree species, Eucalyptus grandis.
It took the team, led by Prof Zander Myburg from the Department of Genetics and the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) at the University of Pretoria (UP), four years to complete the genome sequence and annotate more than 40,000 genes contained within it.
A genome sequence can be compared to a blueprint or very complex programming code containing a complete set of instructions for the development and functioning of an organism. The code is written in DNA, which is organised into chromosomes and genes and can be found in every cell of a living organism. But it is the unique sequence and expression of the genes in eucalypt trees that make them such efficient producers of woody biomass.
Once an organism”s genome is sequenced (E. grandis” genome is about 640 million DNA base pairs long), researchers can trace genes involved in important characteristics like growth, wood quality and resistance to disease. Ultimately, this will result in more efficient tree breeding programmes. Comparative genomic studies, for example between woody and herbaceous plants, can also be used by scientists seeking genes that are unique to trees and wood-forming processes. All of these are important factors in the universal search for alternative, renewable sources to replace fossil fuels and chemicals.
Publication of the genome sequence in a scientific journal is expected to take place by early 2012.
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