“Project Jim” Watson genome sequence published in journal Nature

by William Atkins

Saturday, 19 April 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! On Thursday, April 17, 2008, the genome of James Watson was published in the journal Nature. Watson co-discovered the twisted double helix structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the substance that carries an organism’s genetic information. In April 1953, James D. Watson and Francis H.C. Crick published in the journal Nature a paper ("A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid") that described the first accurate model of the DNA structure. Their result of paired bases was based on x-ray diffraction images taken by Rosalind Franklin. The first article to support their contention was published by Franklin and Raymond Gosling. Watson, Crick, and Maurice Wilkins, for his contribution on DNA structure, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962. In 2008, the sequencing of the Watson genome was performed by 454 Life Sciences (Branford, Connecticut, U.S.A.), a division of Roche Diagnostics. Its website states, “454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company, develops and commercializes the innovative Genome Sequencer [trademark] system for ultra-high-throughput DNA sequencing.” Its motto is “Measuring Life: One Genome at a Time.” The analysis of the bioinformatics was done by scientists from the Human Genome Sequencing Center at the Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas, U.S.A.). The development of the Watson genome was dubbed “Project Jim,” for “Jim,” or “James,” Watson. The first genome published in the journal Nature cost billions of U.S. dollars to sequence. Watson’s genome only cost a few hundred thousand dollars. However, genetic scientists are confident that genomes can be regularly sequenced within ten years for about one thousand U.S. dollars. Having one’s genome sequenced means that you will be able to know beforehand if you are at increased risk from diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer. Several companies in the United States already provide services for personal genome analysis. In the future, such analysis may also tell you how you became to have red hair, green eyes, or possibly even why you love science but not English literature. Additional information about the April 17, 2008 article on the Jim genome follows. << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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