US institutes receive USDA grant for turkey genome sequencing

The USDA has awarded Virginia Tech and the University of Minnesota a two-year US$908,280 grant to complete sequencing the genome of the domesticated turkey, Meleagris gallopavo.

The funding will be used by the Turkey Genome Sequencing Consortium to complete the genome sequencing using next-generation sequencing platforms, assemble the genome sequence, and identify genes and functions in the final genome sequence by use of a sophisticated annotation pipeline. The award will also help put in place a bioinformatics and comparative genome resource for both chicken and turkey.

About 90 percent of the genome sequence has been generated and the preliminary data will be made available to the scientific community as soon as possible, according to Otto Folkerts from Virginia Tech.

The genome sequence and genomic resources should provide turkey breeders with the tools needed to improve commercial breeds of turkey for production traits such as meat yield and quality, health and disease resistance, fertility, and reproduction.

The new sequence will also help refine the chicken genome sequence, said Kent Reed from the University of Minnesota.