生物谷报道：5月8日，nature刊载了封面文章报道，鸭嘴兽的基因组草图已经绘制完毕。
鸭嘴兽是现生哺乳类中最原始而奇特的动物。处于爬虫类动物与哺乳类动物中间的一种动物。它虽比爬虫类动物进步，但尚未进化到哺乳类动物。用肺呼吸，身上长毛，且是热血；而以产卵方式繁殖，因此保留了爬虫类动物的重要特性。
此项研究成果将对物种进化和分类提供巨大贡献。（生物谷www.bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Nature 453, 175-183 (8 May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nature06936
Genome analysis of the platypus reveals unique signatures of evolution
A list of authors and their affiliations appears at the end of the paper
Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8501, 4444 Forest Park Avenue, St Louis, Missouri 63108, USA.
Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK.
MRC Functional Genetics Unit, University of Oxford, Department of Human Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK.
Discipline of Genetics, School of Molecular & Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, 5005 South Australia, Australia.
Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
Center for Comparative Genomics and Bioinformatics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA.
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
Cambridge University, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK.
Instituto Universitario de Oncologia, Departamento de Bioquimica y Biologia Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006-Oviedo, Spain.
Department of Genome Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia.
Crown Human Genome Center, Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
Institute for Systems Biology, 1441 North 34th Street, Seattle, Washington 98103-8904, USA.
Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Monash Institute of Medical Research, 27–31 Wright Street, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia.
Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Bio-Modular Multi-Scale Systems, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803, USA.
School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
Institute of Experimental Pathology, University of Muenster, Von-Esmarch-Strasse 56, D-48149 Muenster, Germany.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA.
Victorian Bioinformatics Consortium, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3080, Australia.
CRC for Innovative Dairy Products, Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26505, USA.
MPI Molecular Genetics, D-14195 Berlin-Dahlem, Ihnestrasse 73, Germany.
Sperling Foundation, Eugene, Oregon 97405, USA.
Courant Institute, New York University, New York, New York 10012, USA.
Discipline of Biological Sciences, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, New South Wales 2308, Australia.
UMR INRA-CNRS 6073, Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, Nouzilly 37380, France.
Laboratory for Pluripotent Cell Studies, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), 2-2-3 Minatojima-minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe 6500047, Japan.
Department of Computer Science, Iowa State University, 226 Atanasoff Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 7 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
Abstract
We present a draft genome sequence of the platypus, Ornithorhynchus anatinus. This monotreme exhibits a fascinating combination of reptilian and mammalian characters. For example, platypuses have a coat of fur adapted to an aquatic lifestyle; platypus females lactate, yet lay eggs; and males are equipped with venom similar to that of reptiles. Analysis of the first monotreme genome aligned these features with genetic innovations. We find that reptile and platypus venom proteins have been co-opted independently from the same gene families; milk protein genes are conserved despite platypuses laying eggs; and immune gene family expansions are directly related to platypus biology. Expansions of protein, non-protein-coding RNA and microRNA families, as well as repeat elements, are identified. Sequencing of this genome now provides a valuable resource for deep mammalian comparative analyses, as well as for monotreme biology and conservation.
