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Christopher Tuggle,
Co-Project Director
Department of Animal Sciences
Genomics is a foundation discipline for the CBAA training group and for systems-wide approaches to understanding relevant biological problems. Much of current genomics research relies on technologies to generate large amounts of mapping, sequence and expression data, along with phenotypic data for traits of importance. Several CBAA faculty members are leading or involved in genomics initiatives, providing CBAA fellows with direct access to state-of-art developments. These initiatives also enable campus-wide collaborations between those faculty who are generating data and those who are developing tools for analysis and interpretation.
In contrast to the human and mouse genomes, livestock genomes have very limited structural data from which to move into functional genomics. ISU is the lead institution of a five-institution USDA gene discovery project to sequence 20,000 expressed sequences (ESTs) expressed in pig reproduction, and to map 700 of these ESTs. One main goal of this project is to significantly improve the comparative map between pig and human so as to develop predictive tools for identifying actual genes responsible for quantitative traits. A key component of the ISU pig genome efforts is the management of PigBASE
(www.genome.iastate.edu).
ISU has a long history of excellence in quantitative genetics applied to animal breeding. Building on the foundations of Lush and Hazel, CBAA faculty are working to understanding the impact of molecular genetic variation on expression of biological traits at the population level and to integrate this knowledge with quantitative methods to enhance the genetic improvement of livestock populations. Microarrays are being developed for high-throughput gene expression studies of embryonic, extra-embryonic and maternal tissues during gestation and to compare transcriptional profiles of animals with quantitative differences in traits.
Comparative and functional microbial genomics is a powerful approach towards understanding mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis. The availability of the complete genomic sequence of a variety of microorganisms, coupled with new technologies for large-scale analysis of gene expression and function, has provided an abundance of new opportunities for understanding complex biological properties of microbial pathogens. CBAA faculty are using genome-wide approaches for studies of
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, Mycobacterium paratuberculosi Listeria monocytogenes and
E. coli O157:H7.
For
additional information:
Email: mget@iastate.edu
Phone: (515) 294-7937 |
