The mouse genome is so important for human genomics that Celera switched its DNA sequencing machines from human to mouse at a point last year when it had barely gathered enough human DNA for its assembly program.
It is clear that the mouse genome is likely to emerge as a vital guide for interpreting the human genome.
The mouse genome is 2,510 million units of DNA in length, according to Celera, and 2,475 million units according to the consortium.
The mouse genome is expected to be invaluable for interpreting the human genome, and Dr. Venter said today that Celera would finish sequencing it by the end of the year.
What cures (or kills) a mouse won't necessarily have the same effect on a human, but the mouse genome is surprisingly similar to our own, and the animals are cheap and easy to maintain.
When the mouse genome is laid over the human genome, the regions of conserved sequence leap out from the junk DNA in the two genomes, which has diverged completely.
I couldn't help but feel a tension between the claims that the mouse genome is far more similar to the human genome than scientists previously believed and that mice are therefore an excellent surrogate for studying the human genome in tests that would be unethical to conduct on human beings.
The versions of the human genome that are available publicly and from Celera may not be so different, but the mouse genome is an enormous aid to interpreting the human genome, because the two mammals have genomes of the same size and similar structure.
Celera Genomics, of Rockville, Maryland, has already sequenced a draft mouse genome, but it is available only to customers paying some $15,000 per year.The mouse genome is useful because of its similarity to the human genome.
That's one reason why the mouse genome is so valuable.
The mouse genome is about 10% smaller than the human genome, owing to a lower repetitive DNA content.
