Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen (BGI-SZ) has launched the International Giant Panda Genome Project. Dr Hongmei Zhu, a scientist from BGI-Shenzhen said, the goal of this project is to finish the sequencing and assembling of draft sequence within six months.
The giant panda is a much-loved animal all over the world and is considered a symbol of China. Scientists will be utilizing the latest Now-Gen sequencing technology to carry out this research. This project will also have far-reaching implications for promoting advances in sequencing tools and techniques.
Mr Ya-Ping Zhang, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of the Kunming Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said, the genome project would help scientists to understand the genetic basis for giant panda adaptation to its special diet and behavioral style, and to reveal the history of population isolation and migration.
The panda to be sequenced for the Giant Panda Genome Project will be chosen from the Chengdu and Wolong breeding centers. In addition to producing a high quality genome sequence, the researchers will do a survey of the genetic variations in the panda population. The fine map of the panda's genome and the transcriptome studies will provide an unparalleled amount of information to aid in understanding both current and past status of the species, including historical population size, current levels of inbreeding, precise estimates of gene-flow, and past connectedness between the two different mountain-top giant panda populations.