Four-nation project begins to map sheep genome
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Researchers in Australia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States will begin work to map the genome of sheep, which could improve meat and fiber production as well as animal health, the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Monday.
Utah State University is the lead institution in the International Sheep Genome Sequencing Consortium, said USDA, which provided $1 million to the project. The USDA is participating in the project through its Agricultural Research Service.
"Mapping the sheep genome will lead to advances in food and fiber production and identification of important traits in animal health and disease resistance," Joseph Jen, USDA undersecretary for research, said in a statement.
"International collaborations like these are vital for promoting worldwide use and understanding of important scientific information."
Participants included Genesis Faraday in Great Britain and New Zealand's AgResearch. Three Australian groups are also involved -- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Livestock Australia, and Australian Wool Innovation.
The USDA also supported an international scientific consortium to map the beef genome.
据路透社2005年5月16日报道，来自澳大利亚、新西兰、英国和美国的研究人员将合作共同绘制绵羊基因组图谱，旨在提高肉类和化纤类产品的质量及保护动物健康。
该项目命名为“国际绵羊基因组测序协会”，而美国农业部出资100万美元支持该项目，同时参与项目的农业研究服务过程。
美国农业部副部长约瑟夫·简发表声明指出，绵羊基因组图谱将大大提高食品和化纤产品的质量，同时可以方便确认动物健康和疾病免疫力方面的相关特征。国际合作对于促进全球性的应用、让人们了解科学信息的重大意义都至关重要。
美国犹他州大学是该项目的主导机构，同时参与者还包括：英国的Genesis Faraday公司、新西兰的AgResearch公司、澳大利亚联邦科学和工业研究组织、澳大利亚畜牧委员会等。
此外，美国农业部还支持了一个国际科学协会，用于绘制牛基因组图谱。
