Biotech Updates

Pig Genome Sequence Seeks to Enhance Swine Production and to Use Pig as a Biomedical Model

November 21, 2012

A study published recently in the journal Nature (Nature 491: 393-398, November 15, 2012) reported the entire sequence of the domestic pig genome and identified genes and protein sequences that have similarities with those that are found in human and implicated in human diseases. A product of a broad international collaboration, this study reveals the first draft of the pig's genome sequence that could provide a reference tool for swine livestock improvement and also for exploring the pig as an experimental model for specific human diseases owing to the fact that pig physiology is very similar to that of human. The authors concluded that the draft pig genome sequence would be a valuable resource for extensively using pigs both in agricultural production and biomedical research.

Read or download the entire research paper at: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v491/n7424/full/nature11622.html.