High quality sequencing of the pig genome

Genome sequencing and isolation of responsible genes are important for effective breeding of pigs for valuable economic traits such as disease resistance, productivity, growth rate, and meat quality. On the other hand, genome sequence and precise information of genes is valuable for utilization of pig as a model animal for biomedical research. In collaboration with the International Swine Genome Sequencing Consortium (ISGSC), we contributed to the sequencing of the entire pig genome. We also precisely sequenced and characterized the genes on the pig genome using full-length cDNA libraries that eventually led to an accurate estimation of the number and structure of genes in the entire genome.

We took charge of sequencing of genomic DNA clones located in chromosomes 6 and 7 derived from the Duroc pig (Sus scrofa), an important breed for meat production worldwide. The SGSC high-quality genome sequence corresponds to 90% (2.52 Gb) of the pig genome (approximately 2.8 Gb). Additionally, a collection of 31,079 pig full-length cDNAs generated from various organs and cell populations has been developed. Comparison of the cDNA clone sequences and the pig genome sequence clarified the locations of the full-length cDNAs on the pig genome. The sequenced cDNAs were estimated to correspond to approximately 15,000 genes, and greatly contributed in characterizing the structure of approximately 25,000 genes on the pig genome.

Pig genome publications

• Groenen M.A.M, Archibald A.L, Uenishi H et al. (2012) Analyses of pig genomes provide insight into porcine demography and evolution Nature 491(7424): 393-398
• Uenishi H, Morozumi T, Toki D, Eguchi-Ogawa T, Rund L.A, Schook L.B (2012) Large-scale sequencing based on full-length-enriched cDNA libraries in pigs: contribution to annotation of the pig genome draft sequence BMC Genomics 13: 581