First stage of bovine DNA project ready

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 7 (UPI) -- The first draft of the bovine genome sequence, a process known as cDNA, is reported ready for biomedical and agricultural researchers worldwide.

The competed Bovine Genome Sequencing Project will allow detailed tracking of the DNA differences between various breeds to assist discovery of traits for better meat and milk production and to model human disease.

Leading the $53 million international effort was a team led by Richard Gibbs at Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston that carried out the sequencing and assembly of the genome.

Additional work aimed at uncovering more detailed information about individual bovine genes is being conducted by a team led by Marco Marra at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver.