Next to Neanderthal: Human Great Ape Genome Helps Understand the Evolution of Man

Comparing DNA sequences in humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans helps us gain a better understanding of the origin, time and early migrations of humans and their closest relatives. Technological findings will now accelerate research in this field. Roche Diagnostics and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Evolutionary Anthropology have announced the purchase by the MPI of Roche Diagnostics´ Genome Sequencer 20 system, providing the MPI with hands-on access to this new high-throughput sequence technology.

The Max Planck Institute will use the system to produce a draft genome sequence for the Bonobo or Pygmy Chimpanzee. The Bonobo is the only great ape for which there is no genome sequencing program to date. It is as closely related to human as the common Chimpanzee. Its genome sequence will allow scientists to gauge the fine-scale evolution of the Chimpanzee genome in the same way as the Neanderthal genome will allow the evolution of the human genome to be better understood.

“The Genome Sequencer 20 System installation at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig marries cutting edge technology with evolutionary research. The GS 20 has proven its qualities for whole genome sequencing of the Neanderthal genome, one of the most important projects for investigating the origins of humans. It will also be the backbone for success for decoding the Bonobo genome," stated Buwnesh Agrawal, Head of Roche Applied Science Germany. The Max Planck Institute recently hit the headlines with their results in high-throughput sequencing of the Neanderthal genome. This research project was a collaborative venture with 454 Life Sciences, the company that invented the Genome Sequencer 20 technology.

"We study gene expression patterns in various tissues in primates and other mammals in order to understand how the transcriptome evolves," explained Svante Pääbo, Director of the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at the Max Planck Institute. "By means of integrated analyses of genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes, we hope to identify genes that have been positively selected during human history."

Since 2005, a new approach has been available on the sequencing market, setting new standards in velocity and cost-effectiveness. The Genome Sequencer 20 System from Roche Applied Science, a business unit of Roche Diagnostics, can perform sequencing runs up to 60 times faster than conventional commercially available platforms. Preparation of a whole genome requires just a single preparation step, without extensive robots for colony picking and microtiter plate handling. One single instrument can produce dozens of megabases of sequence data in just a few hours thanks to parallel-processing, the latest imaging techniques, and unique data analysis. The resulting substantial reductions in both time and costs might offer the prospect of new applications for sequencing in the fields of whole genome sequencing, transcriptome and gene regulation studies, or amplicon analysis e.g., as a basis for the detection of somatic mutations in cancer samples.