A Primate Genome Project Deserves High Priority

McConkey, Edwin H.; Varki, Ajit; Allman, John M.; Benirschke, Kurt; Crick, Francis; Deacon, Terrence W.; Waal, Frans de; Dugaiczyk, Achilles; Gagneux, Pascal; Goodman, Morris; Grossman, Lawrence I.; Gumucio, Deborah L.; Insel, Thomas R.; Kídd, Kenneth K.; King, Mary‐Claire; Krauter, Kenneth; Kucherlapati, Raju; Motulsky, Arno G.; Nelson, David L.; Oefner, Peter J.; Palade, George E.; Ryder, Oliver A.; Stewart, C. Neal; Sikela, James M.; Stone, Anne C.; Woodruff, David S.

doi:10.1126/science.289.5483.1295b

Cited by 34 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Understanding what makes us evolutionarily, biomedically, and cognitively different from chimpanzees will require extensive comparative phenomics to complement the comparative genomics now possible using the chimpanzee genome. However, despite decades of research on wild and captive chimpanzees, our overall knowledge about the chimpanzee phenome is very incomplete (Gagneux 2004;Olson and Varki 2004;McConkey and Varki 2005). Studies of intra-specific variation among great apes are in their infancy, and biomedical and physiological data are few.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regardless, for the purposes of comparison, there is no point in doing any study on a captive great ape that one would not also do on a human subject (Gagneux et al 2005). Also, all studies on captive apes should try to financially contribute toward their conservation in the wild, e.g., via a proposed Great Apes Conservation Trust, which would receive a 10% overage on all grant funds awarded by various agencies for research projects on ape genomes, phenomes, or behavior (McConkey and Varki 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recently initiated "Great Ape Phenome Project" will begin this process Gagneux 2004;Olson and Varki 2004). Of course, the critically endangered status of great apes in the wild, and the fiscal, logistical, and ethical issues of studying great apes in captivity (Gagneux et al 2005;McConkey and Varki 2005) create a situation wherein new data and resources will not be easy to come by. Regardless, for the purposes of comparison, there is no point in doing any study on a captive great ape that one would not also do on a human subject (Gagneux et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Repeated public statements of interest from many other sectors of the scientific community (McConkey and Goodman 1997;McConkey and Varki 2000;Varki 2000) and increasing interest within the genome community eventually led to the writing of "white papers", 4 and the assignment of high priority to this effort (http://www.genome.gov/10002851). The recent analysis of the draft chimpanzee genome sequence (The Chimpanzee Sequencing and Analysis Consortium 2005), and the many "companion" papers (Cheng et al 2005;Hughes et al 2005;Linardopoulou et al 2005) now provide researchers with a wealth of comparative genetic information.…”

Section: Sequencing Of the Chimpanzee Genomementioning

confidence: 99%

“…What makes humans different from their closest evolutionary relatives, and how, why, and when did these changes occur? These are fascinating questions, and a major challenge is to explain how genomic differences contributed to this process (Goodman 1999;Klein and Takahata 2002;Carroll 2003;Olson and Varki 2003;Gagneux 2004;Ruvolo 2004;Goodman et al 2005;Li and Saunders 2005;McConkey and Varki 2005). Most genome projects focus on elucidating the sequence and structure of a species' genome and then identifying conserved functionally important genes and genomic elements.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Comparing the human and chimpanzee genomes: Searching for needles in a haystack

Varki

Altheide²

2005

Genome Res.

Self Cite

284

221

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The chimpanzee genome sequence is a long-awaited milestone, providing opportunities to explore primate evolution and genetic contributions to human physiology and disease. Humans and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor ∼5-7 million years ago (Mya). The difference between the two genomes is actually not ∼1%, but ∼4%-comprising ∼35 million single nucleotide differences and ∼90 Mb of insertions and deletions. The challenge is to identify the many evolutionarily, physiologically, and biomedically important differences scattered throughout these genomes while integrating these data with emerging knowledge about the corresponding "phenomes" and the relevant environmental influences. It is logical to tackle the genetic aspects via both genome-wide analyses and candidate gene studies. Genome-wide surveys could eliminate the majority of genomic sequence differences from consideration, while simultaneously identifying potential targets of opportunity. Meanwhile, candidate gene approaches can be based on such genomic surveys, on genes that may contribute to known differences in phenotypes or disease incidence/severity, or on mutations in the human population that impact unique aspects of the human condition. These two approaches will intersect at many levels and should be considered complementary. We also cite some known genetic differences between humans and great apes, realizing that these likely represent only the tip of the iceberg.Humans (Homo sapiens) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) last shared a common ancestor ∼5-7 million years ago (Mya) (Chen and Li 2001;Brunet et al. 2002). What makes humans different from their closest evolutionary relatives, and how, why, and when did these changes occur? These are fascinating questions, and a major challenge is to explain how genomic differences contributed to this process

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%