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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Animal Health Genomics » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410927
Research Project: Strategies to Control Respiratory Diseases of Cattle

Location: Animal Health Genomics

Title: The ruminant telomere-to-telomere (RT2T) consortium

Author
item KALBFLEISCH, THEODORE - University Of Kentucky
item MCKAY, STEPHANIE - University Of Missouri
item MURDOCH, BRENDA - University Of Idaho
item ADELSON, DAVID - Adelaide University
item ALMANSA VILLA, DIEGO - Universidad Del La Republica
item BECKER, GABRIELLE - University Of Idaho
item BECKETT, LINDA - Purdue University
item JOSE BENITEZ-GALEANO, MARIA - Universidad Ort Uruguay
item BIASE, FERNANDO - Virginia Polytechnic Institution & State University
item CASEY, THERESA - Purdue University
item CHUONG, EDWARD - University Of Colorado
item CLARK, EMILY - Roslin Institute
item CLARKE, SHANNON - Agresearch
item COCKETT, NOELLE - Utah State University
item Heaton, Michael
item Liu, Ge
item Mousel, Michelle
item Van Tassell, Curtis
item YANG, LIU - Former ARS Employee
item Smith, Timothy
item Rosen, Benjamin

Submitted to: Nature Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/14/2024
Publication Date: 8/2/2024
Citation: Kalbfleisch, T.S., McKay, S., Murdoch, B.M., Adelson, D., Almansa Villa, D., Becker, G.M., Beckett, L.M., Jose Benitez-Galeano, M., Biase, F., Casey, T., Chuong, E., Clark, E., Clarke, S., Cockett, N., Heaton, M., Liu, G., Mousel, M.R., Van Tassell, C.P., Yang, L., Smith, T.P.L., Rosen, B.D. 2024. The ruminant telomere-to-telomere (RT2T) consortium. Nature Genetics. 65:1566-1573. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01835-2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41588-024-01835-2

Interpretive Summary: The completion of the first telomere-to-telomere (end-to-end) human chromosomes unlocked new insights into the structure and function of previously uncharacterized regions of the genome. This massive effort expanded the focus to include primate lineages, and this research continues to shed light on chromosomal evolution, species-specific gene content, and genomic adaptations. This achievement, a testament to the power of open collaboration, involved the combined efforts of numerous laboratories, and serves as a model for future scientific endeavors. Inspired by these successes and recognizing the significance of ruminant species as sources of food, fiber, and fuel, we present the initial near end-to-end chromosome assemblies of cattle, gaur, domestic goat, bighorn sheep, and domestic sheep. We also outline the motivations, goals, and proposed comparative analyses aimed at examining chromosomal evolution within the context of natural selection and the domestication of livestock species.

Technical Abstract: Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) assemblies reveal new insights into the structure and function of the previously ‘invisible’ parts of the genome and allow comparative analyses of complete genomes across entire clades. We present here an open collaborative effort, termed the ‘Ruminant T2T Consortium’ (RT2T) that aims to generate complete diploid assemblies for numerous species of the Artiodactyla suborder Ruminantia to examine chromosomal evolution in the context of natural selection and domestication of species used as livestock.