News

Researcher says cattle gene sequencing historic moment

Scientists have mapped and published the complete genetic sequence of domesticcattle.
The University of Illinois, Urbana/Champagne had a role in mapping the bovine genetic makeup. Harris Lewin is a professor and director of the Institute for Genomic Biology, “Truly an historical moment in the history of animal sciences to have the first genome sequenced ofany livestock species.”

He says this international effort will produce much faster results, “Now we know where every gene is in the genome. And, now, with the most recent technologies we can even locate a gene for a disease in a matter of days or weeks.”

Lewin says the advances this will give producers in meat and milk production as well as feed utlilization and efficiency cannot be underestmated, “So it’s an extremely exciting time because we can ask the question of ‘how’ and ‘why’ and from a science perspective it’s neverbeen a better time to be an animal scientist than now.”

The bovine genome sequence is in the published and online versions of the journal Science.