Research: Chromosome 1 sequenced

17 May 2006

Researchers have reached a landmark point in one of the world's most important scientific projects by sequencing the last chromosome in the human genome, the so-called 'book of life'.

The sequence of chromosome 1, published in Nature this week, took a team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and colleagues in the UK and USA ten years to sequence.

Chromosome 1 is the largest of the human chromosomes, containing about 8 per cent of all human genetic information. It is home to 3141 genes, nearly twice as many as the average chromosome, and linked to more than 350 known diseases, including cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, and high cholesterol.

The sequence is expected to help researchers around the world find novel diagnostics and treatments for cancers, autism, mental disorders and other illnesses.

This was the final chromosome to be sequenced by the Human Genome Project, started in 1990 to identify the genes and DNA sequences that provide a blueprint for human beings.

Image credit: Wessex Reg. Genetics Centre

See also

• The Human Genome website (In depth: The Human Genome Project)

External links

• Genome doesn't start with 'G' (Sanger Institute press release: 17 March 2006)
• Human chromosome 1 project overview
• Gregory SG et al. The DNA sequence and biological annotation of human chromosome 1 (Full paper on PubMed)