(2010-3-10)

Beijing Institute of Genomics (BIG), Chinese Academy of Sciences has recently finished the initial sequencing and analysis of the carp (Cyprinus carpio) genome.

Using second-generation high-throughput sequencing technology, BIG researchers have completed partial 454 shotgun DNA library sequencing with 4x coverage, providing basis for genome annotation. Currently researchers are conducting bioinformatic analysis to finish a draft map of the carp genome.

The Carp Genome Project, initiated in December 2009 and cooperated with Heilongjiang Aquaculture Institute and the Aquatic Genome Research Center of Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, is the first fish genome project in China and also the first one of carp family in the world. The sequencing and analysis of carp genome is believed to provide substantial information for the research of fishery sciences.