A global collaborative has produced a first draft of the genome of a domesticated pig, an achievement that will lead to insights in agriculture, medicine, conservation and evolution.

A red-haired Duroc pig from a farm at the University of Illinois will now be among the growing list of domesticated animals that have had their genomes sequenced.

"The pig is a unique animal that is important for food and that is used as an animal model for human disease," said Larry Schook, a University of Illinois professor of biomedical sciences and leader of the sequencing project. "And because the native wild animals are still in existence, it is a really exciting animal to look at to learn about the genomic effects of domestication," he said.

The Duroc is one of five major breeds used in pork production around the world and is one of about 200 breeds of domesticated pigs. There are also numerous varieties of wild boar, the non-domesticated pigs that are believed to have originated in Eurasia.

The sequencing project involved an international team of scientists and genome-sequencing centers. The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, formerly the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, provided $10 million in initial funding, requiring that this be the only pig genome-sequencing project in the world, that it be a public-private partnership and a global collaborative effort, with significant financial or in-kind support from the other participating agencies and stakeholders.

The effort cost about $24.3 million, with additional support from the USDA Agricultural Research Service and many other American, Asian and European funders. (See below for a complete list). Another requirement of participation was that the findings be made public, with no proprietary interests allowed.

"Lawrence B. Schook, right, a professor of biomedical sciences at Illinois, with animal sciences professor Jonathan Beever. Schook, who is also an affiliate of the Institute for Genomic Biology at Illinois, led the international pig genome sequencing project, which has produced a draft of the pig genome. (Credit: Photo by L. Brian Stauffer, U. of I. News Bureau)"

Source: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign