IA - The genetic makeup of corn and swine will be at your fingertips when two research projects involving Iowa State University scientists are completed. Volker Brendel and Christopher Tuggle are working on similar projects to create computer databases of large numbers of genes to help understand and improve future generations of corn and pigs. Brendel, associate professor in the zoology and genetics department, is working with scientists to develop and maintain a computer database containing information on the DNA sequence and expression patterns of corn genes. The team is comprised of scientists from the University of Arizona, the University of California San Diego and Berkely, Stanford University and the University of Illinois. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Brendel and the nine other scientists are identifying maize gene sequences.
Gene sequences are the order of letters in the DNA alphabet.
When a new gene sequence is discovered, it is entered into an online database where other scientists can utilize the information. Currently, the database contains more than 39,000 partial gene sequences. Once a gene has been identified, it is then studied to determine its function in the plant. On a similar project, Christopher Tuggle, an animal science professor, is using computer technology to understand and improve the genetic makeup of pigs. Tuggle and other scientists will determine the sequence of 20,000 genes from reproductive tissues in sows.