|Articles|March 1, 2007

Reconstructing Twilight

A blood sample of Twilight, Cornell's research Thoroughbred gave geneticists the tools to begin charting the map.

  • A blood sample of Twilight, Cornell's research Thoroughbred gave geneticists the tools to begin charting the map.

  • One year and $15 million was the cost to sequence the equine genome at MIT's Broad Institute; down from the $2.7-billion, 13-year expedition for the human sequence in 2003.

  • 2.7 billion DNA base pairs were plotted and assembled, achieving 6.8-fold coverage, good according to genetic research standards.

  • Horse genetic variation was documented using DNA samples from a variety of modern and ancestral breeds, including the Akel Teke, Andalusian, Arabian, Icelandic, Quarter, Standardbred and Thoroughbred.

  • In early February, the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center made available a copy of the horse sequence to spur new discovery.

  • Genetic research was conducted at these U.S. veterinary schools: University of Kentucky, Cornell University, University of California-Davis, University of Minnesota and Texas A&M University.

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