Snakes are cool!

         Ask any ten year old boy and he'll tell you straight: snakes are cool. Little does that ten year old know that that statement is actually very profound from a scientific point of view. Recently, the assembled genome of the Burmese python was published in PNAS. The reason this is so profound is examining the genes of the python may lend clues to our own evolution. As crazy as this sounds, its true. For the most part we have the same genes as a python, differences in gene copy number and expression level/differential expression in different tissues is the reason that we are human and a snake is a snake.
           One of the things that the Burmese python is known for is its ability to consume prey larger than it is. We have all heard of its ability to unhinge its jaw and slowly consume very large prey, however, the physiological processes that accompany this ability are "cool" to say the least. The python is able to greatly increase metabolic gene expression following a meal to ensure that the prey is properly digested. Not only that, but several organs actually increase in size during digestion returning to their normal size approximately 1 to 2 weeks later. Understanding the genetic processes that allow these changes to take place may help us to come up with new treatments for human diseases.

          As the power of next generation sequencing continues to increase new genomes are being published at an unprecedented rate, uncovering clues not only about evolution but also related to human issues. Recently the genome of the king cobra was published in order to examine genes involved with venom production in the snake. This is the second venomous vertebrate genome published to date; the first was the platypus, yes that's right, even the platypus has its genome published.
          The next step in acquiring knowledge about the secrets of life is to continue to sequence genomes. Large consortium projects such as the 1,000 genomes project will allow more comparative genomics to tease out the subtle differences that make us who we are. As the scope of these projects continues to increase the needs of sequencing providers to process sample libraries is also increasing. To meet this demand Aurora offers the VERSA NGLP liquid handling workstation. Find out more here.

More about Aurora Biomed: www.aurorabiomed.com