( and a bat species that will be determin...)NHGRI announces latest sequencing targets

A set of five fungi known as dermatophytes, which are the most common sources of human fungal disease, will also have their genomes sequenced. Dermatophyte fungi are highly communicable and infect millions of people worldwide leading to costs of approximately $400 million a year for treatment alone. The dermatophytes to be sequenced are Trichophyton rubrum, Microsporum canis and Microsporum gypseum, all of which will be sequenced to a high-density genome coverage; and Trichophyton tonsurans and Trichophyton equinum, both of which must be sequenced to a medium-density genome coverage. Scientists then will be able to compare the genome sequence information from these organisms to determine which genes are responsible for the differences in infectivity. Those genes will be logical starting points for developing more effective diagnostic, prevention and treatment approaches to fungal infections in both humans and animals.

Also selected in the latest round is a project to sequence up to 50 strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was first completed in 1996 and is a primary model for studying variations in genomes that can contribute to health and disease. The genomic data provided by this effort will allow researchers to develop basic tools to better understand human variation, such as distinguishing functional from non-functional variations within genes.

A final set of sequencing targets was chosen to address the question: What genes and other genomic features were responsible for the origin of multi-celled organisms? More than 1 billion years ago, two of the major multi-cellular groups of organisms (fungi and animals) sh
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Source:NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute