The European rabbit genome

Abstract

The rabbit genome was chosen to be sequenced to low coverage (twofold) in an effort to annotate the human genome using 24 low coverage mammalian genomes. The European rabbit was among a first group of eight mammals selected for this sequencing effort for identification of conserved and functional elements in the human genome. The individual chosen to be sequenced was a female inbred Thorbecke New Zealand White rabbit. The rabbit's twofold assembly was completed in 2005, yielding an N50 contig size of 3.3 kb and an N50 scaffold size of 55 kb. While a low coverage assembly is a good resource for the rabbit research community, it cannot provide the same level of information as a high coverage assembly. And so in 2006, the rabbit was chosen to be sequenced to full (sevenfold) coverage at the Broad Institute based on its importance to biomedical research and to aid in the reconstruction of the ancestral placental mammal genome. This new high coverage rabbit assembly will provide better information about orthologous genes, to help those studying disease models and holding pre-clinical drug trials. The full sequence of the rabbit's MHC region will aid immunological research. This genome will also enable rabbit transgenics, gene expression and gene therapy experiments. And it will serve as a basis for the study of rabbit population diversity, speciation and domestication. The Broad Institute expects the sevenfold rabbit genome assembly to be completed by the end of 2008. © 2009 Springer Netherlands.