The sequencing and analysis of more than 95% of the mouse genome was published this week, providing a complete draft for the first time.
Results showed that 90% of genes associated with disease in mice are identical to those in humans, supporting the use of mice as model organisms in studies of human disease.
The sequencing of the Mus musculus genome was a collaborative effort by the Mouse Genome Sequencing Consortium, including researchers from centres in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Reporting their findings in Nature, the researchers said: “The sequence of the mouse genome is a key informational experimental tool for understanding the contents of the human genome and a key experimental tool for biomedical research” (2002;420:520-62).
They described 9000 new mouse genes and also presented an initial comparative analysis of the mouse and human genomes. In discovering the role that the mouse genes performed, this identified the role of 1200 human genes, many of which are likely to be associated with cancers and other diseases.
Comparing the human genome with the genomes of other species is a powerful way to determine the role of different human genes.
The information gathered in the mouse genome project represents a major step forward in this process. It showed that both species have around 30000 genes, but only 300 are unique to each type of organism. The mouse is widely used to model human disease, and a close understanding of the similarities between the mouse and the human at the genomic level will help to further research at the physiological level.
The mouse sequence, which has been released as it has been generated, has already led to the identification of genes associated with diabetes, deafness, and cancers.
One of the researchers, Chris Ponting, professor of bioinformatics at Oxford University, commented: “Sequencing the mouse genome has broader relevance. We found that the mouse has equivalents for virtually all of the human disease genes known. This means that the mouse is an excellent model for human disease.”
His group analysed the proteins coded for by the genes uncovered by the genome project. They found clear genomic evidence that natural selection has driven the evolution of mammals. The mouse and the human diverged from a common ancestor about 75million years ago. The comparative genomic study showed that the only genes that differed today were involved in reproduction and response to pathogens. The authors considered that this was proof for Darwin's theory of natural selection.