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

Comparing DNA sequences in humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans helps to 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 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," stated Buwnesh Agrawal, Head of Roche Applied Science Germany.

"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."

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 Paabo, 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."