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Genome map of beaver: Canadian scientists' gift to nation's 150th birthday
Toronto, Jan 17 (IBNS): Scientists in Canada decided to offer a unique gift to the nation on its 150th birthday in the form of sequencing the genome of the Canadian beaver, media reports said.
The beaver was given official status as an emblem of Canada when “An Act to provide for the recognition of the Beaver (Castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada” received royal assent on March 24, 1975. However, the beaver was a part of the Canadian identity long before Parliament passed the National Symbol of Canada Act.
A team of molecular geneticists at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children had categorised the genome of the Canadian beaver to help advance research into human conditions like autism.
Stephen Scherer, Director of The Centre for Applied Genomics & Senior Scientist, Genetics & Genome Biology, at SickKids, led a six-month project to map the genetic scheme of the furry beaver.
SickKids-supported research facilities received $116 million to fund genomics and advanced computing research in Canada.
Scherer’s team had developed a new approach to assembling genomes and chose the beaver to experiment upon as it is integral to the country's history, going back to the early fur trade, CP24 reports said.
The genome was sequenced in part using DNA from Ward, a 10-year-old male beaver that lived in the Toronto Zoo with its mate June.
“What we found is that the beaver genome is roughly the same size as the human genome, maybe a little smaller. We’ve never sequenced any genomes with the quality that we’ve had with the beaver. It’s exciting because it allows us to see some things for the very first time,” a news release from the SickKids reported.
Scherer said that the same technology will be used to map genomes of families affected by autism, to find out if mutated genes are the reasons behind the neurological condition. His lab has already confirmed that nearly 20 percent of autism cases were caused by genetic mutations.
This study was supported by Genome Canada, Ontario Genomics, Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Government of Ontario, the Lau Family Endowment and SickKids Foundation.
Results of the research were published on Friday in the journal G3: Genes/Genomes/Genetics. Its cover page contains a photo of the first Canadian stamp which features the national symbol.
(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
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