The medaka draft genome and insights into vertebrate genome evolution

The medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) is a popular pet in Japan and more recently a laboratory model organism for developmental genetics and evolutionary biology. Now the medaka's genome has been sequenced and analysed by a large Japanese consortium. Cichlids and stickleback, which are emerging model systems for understanding the genetic basis of vertebrate speciation, are evolutionarily closer to medaka than zebrafish, so the medaka's genome sequence will yield valuable insights into 400 million years of vertebrate genome evolution. The medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) has long been a popular pet in Japan and more recently a laboratory model organism; it now has its genome sequenced and analysed by a Japanese…

• JS
  Japan Science and Technology Corporation
• MO
  Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology