Plant and Animal Genomes Conference XV, 2007, San Diego, CA, USA: W418.
Recent completion of human genome sequence provides the starting point for understanding the genetic complexity of the human and how genetic variations contribute to diverse traits and diseases. The pig as a mammal order Artiodactyla is being whole-genome sequenced with a moderate coverage (4X). The pig is an important global agriculture animal since it represents the major source of animal based protein for humans and also represents a valuable biomedical model organism for human health. As an animal species with its wild ancestor still alive in multiple global regions the pig provides a unique opportunity for tracing the mammalian evolutionary history and the signature of selection left after domestication and natural selection, and further for socioeconomic in the human history. A clone-by-clone sequencing strategy, based on the minimum tiling path of BAC clones, is being employed in the pig whole genome sequencing project, and a total of 6,985 clones have been selected for generating initial shotgun sequencing data to date, which represents ~50% of the swine genome. A total of 1302 accessioned clones have generated >225 Mb of sequence. Pre-finishing strategy is being employed for gap closure and ambiguity resolution. Automated annotation will be used on a chromosome after the entire chromosome has been sequenced (http://www.piggenome.org/). International efforts and advances in the pig genome sequencing are presented here. (This work was supported in part by USDA/NRI-CSREES grants AG2006-35216-16668, AG2001-3520-11698 and USDA-ARS AG58-5438-2-313).