Farm to Genomes: African Rice
Rice is one of the most important crops on the planet, responsible for feeding billions of people. Given this global significance, studying rice in different geographies can be useful and aid in harnessing genetic diversity underlying particular traits and adaptations favorable to different environments. African rice (Oryza glaberrima Steud.) is mainly grown in sub-Saharan Africa and known for its stress tolerance. In a new article this week in Nature Genetics, Michael Purugannan and colleagues report the whole genome re-sequencing of 93 African rice landraces from various regions of Western coastal and sub-Saharan Africa. They create a genome-wide SNP map and through comparative genomic analysis study the domestication and population history of African rice. They use their map to perform GWAS for salt tolerance and find 11 significantly associated regions, highlighting the value of this unique genetic resource. Read more
June issue cover: What’s going on here?
As June comes to a close, it’s time to look back at our June issue and ask “what’s going on here?” with the cover image. As you may have guessed, the image is related to the publication of the carrot genome sequence in this month’s issue. Read more
Cancer clones- mixing and spreading
The trajectory of tumor cells during metastasis can be influenced by many factors, including the physical environment and the genetic makeup of metastatic clones. In high-grade serous ovarian cancer, there are limited barriers in the intraperitoneal space, allowing for extensive spreading and mixing of tumor cells. A recent article published in Nature Genetics explores these different patterns of clonal evolution in metastatic ovarian cancer using a combination of bulk and single cell sequencing. Read more
May issue cover: What’s going on here?
This month’s cover image is inspired by the Article on p. 528 of this issue, by Jeff Wall, Nicola Illing, Nadav Ahituv and colleagues. The paper reports the genome of the bat Miniopterus natalensis and transcriptional dynamics in the developing bat wing. This species, one of a group known as vesper bats, is also known as the Natal long-fingered bat and is found in parts of Africa. Read more
April issue cover: What’s going on here?
This month’s cover image is a visual tribute to the peanut and its importance to both the ancient civilizations of the Americas and modern agriculture. The genome sequences of the two progenitor species to the cultivated peanut were published in this month’s issue by David Bertioli and colleagues. The genome sequences are the first step to characterizing the genome of cultivated peanut, which was formed by the hybridization of these two species thousands of years ago. The genome sequences give us valuable clues about the evolution of these species. The authors also identified candidate genes for pest resistance, which could lead to advances in peanut cultivation in the future. Read more
December issue cover: What’s going on here?
This month’s cover image is related to the pineapple genome paper, but is also a celebration of all things genome. The cover art is from a collage produced by young artists Sahve Greef and Aurora Lupus. The image shows a pineapple outline with genome tracks or chromosomes contained within the scales of the outer fruit, all set on a background reminiscent of outer space. Read more
On the history of pigs
Understanding the genomic changes that occurred during the domestication of animals and plants by humans is important on many levels. Such insights can provide information about human history and our interactions with other species, as is the case with genetic studies of dog and cat domestication. These studies can also help us to improve crop plants (such as tomato) and livestock (such as cattle) for human consumption or other use. Finally, genetic studies on domestication can help to identify disease-causing mutations that have been selected for as a by product of selection for beneficial traits (for example, in cats and dogs). Read more
Focus on TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis
Nature Genetics is pleased to present today the first installment of our Focus on TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis. Read more
Preview to the 7th Genomics of Common Diseases
The 7th annual The Genomics of Common Diseases conference is taking place this weekend, from September 7-10, in Keble College, Oxford University. At this conference, we seek to represent a top selection of the latest research characterizing the genetic basis of a range of common diseases. Read more
