'Nature' Carries Article on China's Rice Chromosome Sequencing

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 22, 2002

'Nature' Carries Article on China's Rice Chromosome Sequencing

The British science journal "Nature" on Thursday published the findings of a team of Chinese scientists with regard to the precise sequencing of rice chromosome four.

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"Nature" Carries Article on China's Rice Chromosome Sequencing

A group of Chinese scientists announced Thursday in Shanghai that they have completed 10 percent of the genome sequence of japonica, one of the most widely cultivated subspecies of rice in China and other Asian regions.

Their findings with regard to the precise sequencing of rice chromosome four, which was published as the cover story in British science journal "Nature" on Thursday, a leading international scientific journal, has been hailed as a milestone for agriculture research.

The journal gave high praise for the largest gene research project conducted by Chinese scientists independently on the precise sequencing of a single chromosome, calling it an important contribution to botanical biology.

According to the article, entitled "Sequence and Analysis of Rice Chromosome 4", in addition to the sequencing, the scientists also carried out a comparative analysis of the chromosomes of the two rice subspecies, the first of its kind to discover the evolutionary relationship and variations of the two rice subspecies.

The scientists found a total of 35 million base pairs in rice chromosome four with an accuracy rate of up to 99.99 percent, the article noted.

Prof. Han Bin, head of the Chinese researchers team dedicated to rice chromosome sequencing and director of the China National Center for Gene Research (NCGR), said that, since rice has 12 chromosomes, its exact genetic structure could be determined by genome sequencing, which could in turn provide the basis for the genetic breeding of high-yield and pest-resistant rice.

The research findings would undoubtedly contribute significantly and substantially to the solution to food shortage issue in the world.

"It not only gives China a position on the world's scientific leading edge, but also pushes ahead the process of the International Rice Genome Sequencing Project," said Chen Zhu, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

China is one of the 11 nations and regions, including Japan, the United States and France, working on the sequencing project, which is known as IRGSP that began in 1998.

Researchers hope the sequencing of the 12 chromosomes in japonica will help them produce better strains of rice in the future, leading to larger crop yields. But they still can't say when their research will turn into practical gains for farmers and consumers.

The Chinese study, which was conducted by more than 70 scientists under the leadership of the Shanghai-based national Center for Gene Research, proves the existence of 4,658 individual genes in the No. 4 chromosome of japonica.

Cracking the genetic code behind rice, a staple for more than half of the world's population, "will speed improvements in nutritional quality, crop yield and sustainable agriculture to meet the country's growing needs," commented Li Xueyong, a vice minister from the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The project is considered significant due to the vast number of farmers among China's population.

Previously, a group of Chinese scientists led by Yang Huanming at the Beijing Genomics Institute completed the first draft of the genome sequence of indica, another key subspecies of rice.

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