Source:  Ann Bagel Storck, MEATINGPLACE.COM, 11/2/09

An international team of scientists has completed the first draft of the genome of a domesticated pig, which will spur advancements in swine production and human medicine, USDA said Monday.

At 98 percent complete, the draft sequence of a red-haired Duroc pig will allow researchers to pinpoint genes that are useful to pork production or are involved in immunity or other important physiological processes in the pig, USDA said in a news release. It will enhance breeding practices, offer insight into diseases that afflict pigs — and, sometimes, also humans — and will help in efforts to preserve the global heritage of rare, endangered and wild pigs.

The project was funded with a $10 million grant in 2006 to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), previously the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. The total cost was about $24.3 million, with additional support from USDA's Agricultural Research Service and various American, Asian and European sources.

"This new insight into the genetic makeup of the swine population can help reduce disease and enable medical advancements in both pigs and humans," said Roger Beachy, NIFA director.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.