Singapore, Sep 23, 2009: Dr Christine Couldrey, scientist from AgResearch, New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institute has led a world-first: a successful bovine genome-wide methylation scan. The scan determines which parts of bovine DNA receive an additional layer of information during the development of the cow. Although not part of the DNA sequence itself, the DNA methylation that is added to the genome (single set of DNA chromosomes) is both maintained and modified in cells as animals develop and grow to adulthood.

The achievement builds on the first sequencing of the cow genome which took place in April this year and achieved by an international collaboration by AgResearch with Dr John Greally and Dr Masako Suzuki at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.  While the data is still being analysed it is now clear the successful scan in late July will pave the way for a range of other scientific advances.

The failure rate in cloned embryos is presumed to be due to unknown errors in epigenetic reprogramming, but this scan opens the way for identifying these errors, and a much higher success rate and better understanding of bovine DNA for a range of breeding and health outcomes.

Dr Couldrey believes this work could have huge benefit to the livestock industries, “while this is exciting what is important is that this success can lead to future benefits and savings for farming.  The work has just begun and the analysis will help understand how we can turn this knowledge into practical solutions for the agricultural sector.  Dispersing superior genetics and some applications for pharmaceutical products are obvious results.”

Dr Couldrey has also been working with Dr Mitchell Potter, a computer scientist from the US Naval Research Laboratory who is internationally recognised for his seminal research in the area of cooperative co-evolutionary algorithms. The team is working on analysing DNA using both biology and algorithms to understand genomes.

The success has followed over three years of intensive work and collaboration and has only been made possible through grants from the Paykel Foundation and funding from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

Dr Andrew West, Chief Executive of AgResearch, has welcomed Dr Couldrey’s achievement, “AgResearch and our talented scientists are at the cutting edge of so many issues, usually working with a much lower level of funding, and this world-first is a major achievement that will greatly benefit farmers.”