Genome Sequence, Comparative Analysis, and Population Genetics of the Domestic Horse and About Equine DNA Roadmap

The Equine DNA Roadmap "The equine genome takes us on a journey from prehistoric times to a future of identifying and manipulating individual genes. 'Genome mapping.' It's a phrase we hear a lot in the 21st century, an age of scientific advances the likes of invisibility cloaks and bioengineered body parts. But what exactly is this road through a species' heritage, and what do the points along the map tell us about our animals and ourselves?..."

"We report a high-quality draft sequence of the genome of the horse (Equus caballus). The genome is relatively repetitive but has little segmental duplication. Chromosomes appear to have undergone few historical rearrangements: 53% of equine chromosomes show conserved synteny to a single human chromosome. Equine chromosome 11 is shown to have an evolutionary new centromere devoid of centromeric satellite DNA, suggesting that centromeric function may arise before satellite repeat accumulation. Linkage disequilibrium, showing the influences of early domestication of large herds of female horses, is intermediate in length between dog and human, and there is long-range haplotype sharing among breeds." Follow this link to learn more about this wonderful research: Science Magazine