Researchers have sequenced the genome of the Pinus taeda, commonly known as the loblolly pine, and also found the tree's genetic code, according to a UC Davis press release.
The team found that the tree's genetic code is seven times larger than a human's, and that it is the largest and most complete conifer genome ever sequenced.
The sequencing of the loblolly pine's genome was done by using a faster and more efficient analytical process, which included advanced computer technology.
The genome sequence will likely help scientists breed improved varieties of the pine, according to the press release. It will also help them better understand the diversity and evolution of plants.
"It's a huge genome," David Neale of the University of California, Davis, who led the research, said in a statement, according to the release. "But the challenge isn't just collecting all the sequence data. The problem is assembling that sequence into order."
The loblolly pine, which is the most commercially important tree species in the U.S., and is one of several pines native to the southeastern U.S.,
The tree can be found from central Texas to Florida, and northward to Delaware and southern New Jersey. The tree is commonly used for building lumber and paper, and is also the main source of pulpwood and saw timber for the country's forest products industry, according to the release.
Scientists used a new method that works by speeds up genome assembly through compressing the raw sequence data 100-fold, in order to handle the large size of the loblolly pine genome.
"We were able to assemble the human genome, but that was close to the limit of our ability; seven times bigger was just too much," said Steven Salzberg, professor of medicine and biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University, one of the directors of the loblolly genome assembly team and an author on the papers, according to the release.
Research was published in two papers in the March 2014 issue of Genetics, and in one paper in the open access journal, Genome Biology.
Scientists also looked for genes that control resistance to fusiform rust, which is a disease that infects southern pines and makes them unfit for use, as part of the study, according to the release.
They were also able to find a whole family of resistant genes in the pine's genome.
"Now that we've unlocked its genetic secrets, loblolly pine will take on even greater importance as we look for new sources of biomass to drive our nation's bio-economy, and ways to increase carbon sequestration and mitigate climate change," Sonny Ramaswamy, director of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, which funded the research, said, according to the release.
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