Life Science Space: 001: First DNA Sequencing of a Woman

Life Science Space (May 27, 2008)--In 2001, the DNA sequence was published of a combination of persons. The DNA sequences of Jame Watson, discoverer of the DNA’s double helix structure, followed in 2007, and later the DNA of gene hunter Craig Venter. Recently the completion of the sequences of two Yoruba Africans was announced.

Now geneticists of Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) in The Netherlands have determined the first DNA sequence of a woman, Dr. Marjolein Kriek, a clinical geneticist at LUMC- and also the first European. This has been announced by the researchers during a special press conference at 'Bessensap', a yearly meeting of scientists and the press in the Netherlands. Following in-depth analysis, the sequence will be made public, except incidental privacy-sensitive findings. The results will contribute to insights into human genetic diversity

22 billion base pairs - eight times the size of the human genome.

The DNA sequencing was done with the Illumina 1G equipment. This has been installed in January 2007 in the Leiden Genome Technology Center, the genomics facility of LUMC and CMSB. In total, approx. 22 billion base pairs (the ‘letters’ of the DNA language) were read. That is almost eight times the size of the human genome.

Dr. Johan den Dunnen, project leader at the Leiden Genome Technology Center: "This high coverage is needed to prevent mistakes, connect the separate reads and reduces the chance of occasional uncovered gaps." Johan den Dunnen: "The sequencing itself took about six months. Partly since it was run as a ‘side operation’ filling the empty positions on the machine while running other projects. Would such a job be done in one go, it would take just ten weeks.”

The cost of the project was approximately €40.000, which does not include further in-depth bioinformatics analysis.

The researchers announced their news at the yearly ‘Bessensap’ meeting, bringing together the Dutch scientists and the press. The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research NWO organizes this event jointly with the Association of Science Writers VWN and Science Center NEMO.

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Adapted from materials provided by Leiden University Medical Centre.
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