Ah yes... of men and mice...
Humans beat mice gene count by a squeak
By FT.com staff
Published: February 11 2001 14:11GMT | Last Updated: February 11 2001 16:38GMT
A mouse and a man may have more in common than initially thought according to a landmark research on the human gene map to be announced on Monday.
The research will detail the first in-depth investigation of human genetic code - or genome - and open the door to a new era of medicine.
Scientists have found that human beings have far fewer genes than originally thought - only 300 more than a mouse, and just twice as many as a fruit fly.
Dr Craig Venter of Celera Genomics, part of one of the two group's behind the The human genomeproject, said most scientists thought there were somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 genes in a human being, but this estimate has been lowered to between 26,000 and 30,000.
The estimates bring us closer to a small flowering plant called Arabidopsis thaliana, which has 25,000 genes and a species of tiny worm that has 19,000 genes.
Eric Lander, director of the Whitehead Institute Centre for Genome Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a member of the international consortium, said many people may be bothered by the number of genes being so low and consider it as some kind of affront to human dignity.
Scientists stress however, that the number of genes is just the starting point for creating complexity.
But the potential for effrontery does not end there. The study will also reveal that men are to blame for most inherited genetic mutations. The consortium found that men's bodies create inheritable mutations at about twice the rate of women's. It provides a mixed message for men. Although they provide the greater force for evolutionary change, they create hiccups that may promote disease.
The analyses were performed by two teams that made headlines last year when they worked out nearly all the letters of the 3bn-letter human DNA code called the genome.
The genome is a chemical sequence that contains the basic information on the mechanics of the human body. The work is part of international efforts to decipher the genetic code of a human being and will, in the upcoming decades, revolutionise the understanding and treatment of disease.
Information from the project should help combat diseases like cancer and diabetes, mental illness and drug addiction and bring cures within reach. One team is a consortium of federal and institutional researchers in the US and scientists in five other countries. They will publish their findings in Thursday's issue of Nature. The other team, based at Celera Genomics in Rockville, Maryland will publish its report in Friday's issue of Science.
But researchers have decades of work ahead of them as they unravel the results of the project and many other issues to consider. Scientists are wary of the legal, ethical and social implications of genetic advances, saying that caution and wisdom are needed to ensure the benefits are put to proper use.
news.ft.com
i became curious and did a google on "Arabidopsis" this is what i found:
nature.com
cauliflower is an edible relative of arabidopsis -g-
arabidopsis.com!root.html
arabidopsis.com |
