Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
Pig Genome Newsletter #040
P I G G E N O M E U P D A T E
__________________________________________________________________
A Bimonthly Newsletter of the U.S. Pig Genome Coordination Program
************** No. 40 **************
* *
* <angenmap@db.genome.iastate.edu> *
* January 1, 1999 *
**************************************
===========================================================================
1. Plant & Animal Genome VIII and The NAGRP-2000 Meetings Are Coming
2. A National Animal Agriculture DISCOVER Conference:
"Preserving Animal Germplasm Diversity
3. The NSIF Meeting Was Recently Held in Des Moines
4. An Additional Set of 93 Fluorescent Primers Are Being Manufactured
5. Upcoming Meetings (5 items)
6. Special Year-End Thanks
===========================================================================
Happy Holidays to all of you, your families and colleagues!
o o o o o o o o o o o
Its never too late!!!!! Plant & Animal Genome VIII (PAG-VIII) and the
NAGRP -2000 meetings are coming! Most of you will have received
registration information for PAG-VIII, but, if not, it can be viewed by
clicking on the PAG-VIII title at the conference Web site,
http://www.intl-pag.org/. Abstracts are now on line. Registration can
also be completed on-line or using a form obtained at the site. The
registration fee is $475, thereafter ($100 more for participants from
industry.) This year the swine committee gets an early start on Sunday,
January 9, with an 8:30 a.m. session and continuing all day until 5:30
p.m. Numerous other workshops will run concurrently on Sunday, with the
PAG talks and workshops running Monday through Wednesday, culminating with
Wednesday night's banquet. For those interested in infectious diseases,
PAG-VIII will be followed directly by the first Ag Microbial Genome
meeting; see the same web site for details. Limited travel support for
NAGRP members is available: contact me at mfrothsc@iastate.edu, if
interested. A graduate student will receive the Neal Jorgensen Travel
Award of $300 plus complementary registration.
o o o o o o o o o o o
A national animal agriculture DISCOVER Conference, "Preserving Animal
Germplasm Diversity: A Call To Action", was held in Nashville, IN on
October 31-November 3. Larry R. Miller, CSREES Acting Section Leader for
Animal Systems, served as the program chairman, and Richard Frahm a member
of the program committee, jointly organized the conference with the
Agricultural Research Service, USDA. The local host Bill Baumgardt did an
excellent job, and the site was beautiful. The conference involved 70
scientists and administrators representing animal industry, Land Grant
universities, Federal agencies, FAO and several foreign countries. This
conference was designed to (1) assess the existing biological diversity in
animal species, (2) assess the available technology to preserve animal
germplasm and (3) develop a strategy and mechanism to identify the
germplasm to be preserved for the major agricultural species --beef,
swine, dairy, poultry and sheep/small ruminants. Genetic diversity
studies are mainly based on the use of anonymous sequences (MSs, AFLPs).
The suggestion was made to use functional sequences (of genes for traits
of interest) in order to measure the more relevant biodiversity. Counter
arguments were that most genes affecting traits are not known, future
traits of interest might not be the same as those we select for today and
genotypes (including gene interactions) need to be preserved instead of
individual genes. As technology changes, it is likely that genes will play
an increasing role, but the discussion will continue. The conference
builds upon the National Animal Germplasm Program prepared in 1990 by USDA
and the Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP)
and augments the updated National Animal Germplasm Program Implementation
Plan developed by the Agricultural Research Service early this year.
Plans were developed during the conference for each species that should
provide the essential framework for private industry and public
institutions to coordinate efforts to identify, preserve and utilize
animal germplasm for agricultural species for future generations. This
will enable animal industries to respond to changes in market demand
and/or threats to production including new diseases, pathogens and other
biological abnormalities. For further information please contact Larry
Miller (lmiller@reeusda.gov) or Caird Rexroad, ARS (cer@ars.usda.gov).
o o o o o o o o o o o
The NSIF meeting was recently held in Des Moines in conjunction with the
NPPC Lean Value conference. The conference was well attended and featured
several talks on lean growth and meat quality. Molecular genetics talks
included one on ESR effects on components of litter size by Brad Isler
from the Ohio State University, who was the NSIF graduate student award
winner.
o o o o o o o o o o o
A New Years Bonus! To celebrate the New Year an additional set of 93
fluorescent primers are being manufactured. Set XI will be available for
distribution soon. Check our web site for updates. This brings the total
number of fluorescent primer pairs distributed by the U.S. Pig Genome
Coordinator to 460 pairs. Primer information is at:
http://www.genome.iastate.edu/resources/fprimerintr.html. To order Set
IX fluorescent primers, please send your request, along with your detailed
postal address and your daytime phone number (required), to
mfrothsc@iastate.edu. Please continue to make use of them and also be
sure to acknowledge their source as it helps to improve cooperation and
coordination activities. Please also send requests of primers for genome
scans to M. Rothschild so that the next set can include further
suggestions from the pig genome community.
o o o o o o o o o o o
Upcoming meetings (for more details see:
http://www.genome.iastate.edu/community/meetings.html)
Plant and Animal Genome VIII, joint with the NAGRP annual meetings, Jan.
8-13, 2000, Town & Country Convention Center, San Diego, CA. See:
http://www.intl-pag.org. Followed immediately by Ag Microbial Genome I,
Jan. 13-14, same location. See http://www.ag-microbial.org/agm.
ASAS/ADSA Midwestern Section Meeting, March 13-15, 2000, Des Moines, IA
see: http://www.asas.org/midwestern/index.html.
The 14th International Congress Animal Reproduction, July 2-6, 2000,
Swedish University of Agriculatural Sciences, S-750 Uppsala, Sweden,
Contact: Hans Gustafsson, Tel. +1 46-1867-1000,or
hans.gustafsson@og.slu.se.
International Society of Animal Genetics: Minneapolis, MN, USA will be
held July 24-27, 2000. Contact Brian Kirkpatrick at
bwkirkpat@facstaff.wisc.edu.
American Society of Animal Science National Meeting, July 24-28,
Baltimore, MD. For details please contact http://www.baltimore2k.org.
o o o o o o o o o o o
Let me extend a special year-end thanks to all of you who have helped in
the last year with the pig gene mapping project. The suggestions, ideas
and information have really helped to make this activity easier and more
useful. It is my hope that all of you have a happy holiday season and
that the New Year brings with it good health, happiness and blessings for
you, your families and friends.
<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>
Items for Pig Genome Update 41 can be sent to me by no later than February
10 please.
Max Rothschild
U.S. Pig Genome Coordinator
2255 Kildee Hall, Department of Animal Science
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa 50011
Phone: 515-294-6202, Fax: 515-294-2401
mfrothsc@iastate.edu
cc: Dick Frahm, CSREES and Caird Rexroad II, ARS
============================================================================
U.S. PIG GENOME COORDINATION PROJECT
+-----------------------------------+
| Paid for by funds from the NRSP-8 | Web: http://www.genome.iastate.edu
| USDA/CSREES sponsored Pig Genome | Mailing list:
| Coordination Program | angenmap@db.genome.iastate.edu
+-----------------------------------+
============================================================================
