Workshop on Genomic Analysis of Species Extinctions

物种灭绝的基因组分析研讨会韦伯米勒宾夕法尼亚州立大学2009年初在宾夕法尼亚州立大学举行的一个研讨会将聚集来自不同学科的30名专家，计划使用先进的基因组分析技术来了解与物种灭绝相关的基因组变化。该计划还将建议如何使用基因组方法来拯救濒危物种。以前，需要数百万美元，大型科学家联盟和多年的努力来测序和分析脊椎动物基因组，而如此大的花费的唯一充分理由是对人类健康的明显益处。然而，随着目前测序技术的革命，测序单个人类基因组的计划已经导致测序1000个人类基因组，有望实现1000美元的基因组。这些进步可以带来对其他重要社会问题的影响，特别是改善目前整个哺乳动物和其他脊椎动物物种的大规模灭绝。最近的一篇论文（发表在2008年11月的《自然》杂志上）报道了长毛猛犸的基因组，该基因组是由一个小组以低预算进行测序和分析的。该项目显示了使用所谓的下一代测序方法来确定灭绝动物的完整（核）基因组的可行性，并绘制了可能伴随物种衰退的种群多样性变化。目前的一个项目是使用几个塔斯马尼亚魔鬼（一种受到癌症极端威胁的物种）的全基因组测序，以及先进的基因分型技术，来帮助设计一个圈养繁殖计划，该计划可以保持人口多样性，强调与抗肿瘤相关的基因组特征。研讨会将汇集（1）博物馆工作人员，（2）保护和野生动物管理人员，（3）基因组测序，分析和基因分型专家，以及（4）公共和私人资助机构的代表。在讲习班之前，讲习班与会者将举行为期一天的会谈，向公众开放;已从私人来源获得资金，资助这些会谈。接下来的一天半将专门用于一个封闭的研讨会，一般性讨论和分组将产生一个书面计划，详细说明如何招募先进的和即将到来的基因组方法来帮助理解，甚至可能防止物种灭绝背后的过程。

Workshop on Genomic Analysis of Species ExtinctionsWebb MillerPennsylvania State UniversityA workshop at the Pennsylvania State University in early 2009 will assemble 30 experts from a variety of disciplines to plan for using advanced genome-analysis techniques to understand the genomic changes associated with species extinctions. The plan will also suggest how genomic methods may be used to save endangered species. Previously, it took millions of dollars, large consortia of scientist, and years of effort to sequence and analyze a vertebrate genome, and the only adequate rationale for such a large expense was a clear benefit to human health. However, with the current revolution in sequencing technology, the project to sequence a single human genome has led to sequencing 1000 human genomes, on the way to the promised $1000 genome.These same advances can be brought to bear on other problems of importance to society, and in particular, to ameliorate the current wholesale extinction of entire species of mammals and other vertebrates. A current paper (in the journal Nature, November 2008) reports the genome of the woolly mammoth, which was sequenced and analyzed by a small group on a low budget. That project shows the feasibility using so-called next-generation sequencing methods to determine the complete (nuclear) genome of extinct animals and to chart changes in population diversity that can accompany decline of a species. A current project is using whole-genome sequencing of several Tasmanian Devils (a species under extreme threat from a form of cancer), together with advanced genotyping technology, to help design a captive breeding program that can maintain a population diversity emphasizing genomic traits associated with resistance to tumors. The workshop will bring together (1) museum personnel, (2) conservation and wildlife managers, (3) experts in genome sequencing, analysis, and genotyping and (4) representative of public and private funding agencies. The workshop will be preceded by a day of talks, open to the public, by the workshop attendees; funds have been obtained from private sources to finance those talks. The next day and a half will be devoted to a closed workshop, where general discussions and break-out groups will yield a written plan detailing how advanced and soon-forthcoming genomic methods can be recruited to help understand, and perhaps even prevent, the processes behind extinction of species.