Human genomics in China
Jan 7, 2009 - 5:00:00 AM
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The Chinese human genome project fully exemplified the Chinese characteristics. With respect to the
project design, besides the above-mentioned two one percent, it reinforced the research upon disease
genomics and focused on the establishment of the disease sample/information collecting network along with
the continuous efforts in cloning and identification of disease related genes by employing human genetic
resources from China and abroad. The human health oriented functional genomics research, including
bioinformatics, transcriptomics, proteomics, structural genomics and other technology platforms, such as model
animals, biochip constructions, etc., were all developed along with the human genomic sequencing project in
the late 1990s. Making full use of the technology and resource advantages of the human genome research
helped to extend the genomic sequencing and related research to plants other than rice, microorganisms
(pathologens for medicine and agriculture or important industry bacteria), insects (silkworm) and parasites
(Schistosoma japonicum). In 2006, the original and assembled genomic sequence data of S. japonicum was
registered in and released from a public bioinformatics database (http://biodb.sgst.cn) . operated by the
Shanghai Bioinformation Technology Development Center, for sharing with the international Schistosoma
mansoni consortium. This action indicated that genomic information analysis technology had set out an
important step forward in merging with the international GeneBank. In summary, although China started late in
genomic sequencing, it has caught up with the international wave in functional genomics, and the achievements
of which effectively enhanced the life science research and biotechnology development in China.
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By Science in China Press,
[RxPG]
Ten years ago, the Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai (South Center, hereafter) was established
in the Zhangjiang HiTech Park of Pudong District in Shanghai. To commemorate this important event,
which marks the beginning of the Genomics Era in China, we specially organize a series of mini-reviews for
this special issue. We hope that this effort may draw the attention of the Chinese life science research workers
to collectively recall the short but fruitful history of human genome project and coordinately explore the trend
and goal of the future development of this academic discipline in China.
As early as in the late 1980s, the Chinese High Technology Research and Development Program, which is
also known as the 863 Program, funded the scientists of Fudan University (in Shanghai) to construct DNA
jumping library for human genetic disease related physical mapping. It was probably the very first human genome
related research project supported by a national funding agency. After 1991, Fudan University, Ruijin
Hospital and the Cancer Research Institute in Shanghai were all funded by the 863 Program in succession, to
develop genomics technology by means of molecular genetics, and to study genetic diseases including cancer
by means of medical genetics. Meanwhile, Beijing scientists such as those in the Institute of Basic Medicine,
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences also independently developed the rare cutter restriction enzymes such as
Not I and Sfi I to facilitate the analysis of large DNA fragments of human genome, aiming at physical map
construction. These early efforts and progress became truly the spark of a fire and the human genome
research was thus initiated.
In the early 1990s, focusing on the total sequencing and annotation of the complete human genome as its
core mission, the Human Genome Project (HGP) was initiated under the leadership of the U.S.A. However, the
initial response in China was, instead, to participate in the International Rice Genome Project led by Japan. The
reasons behind were obvious. First of all, for China, the largest developing country of the world, food security
is of the primary concern and rice is the major staple food for Chinese people. Second, rice, a diploid crop, with
its relatively small genome size (about 400 Mb), is a nice model of the monocotyledon plants. Third, over the
years, the Chinese scientists had accumulated a great deal of experiences in the basic and applied research of
rice, and achieved significant progress in rice breeding and physiology studies, particularly, for the hybrid rice,
a model of Green Revolution. Inspired by these ideas, both the central and the Shanghai municipal governments
supported the DNA sequencing expert HONG Guo-Fan, who just returned back to China from Sanger's
laboratory, to initiate the rice genome project in 1992 and the Chinese efforts in rice genome sequencing and
research were thus, set out on its long journey.
Meanwhile, the far-sighted Chinese medical geneticists were still promoting the initiation of a human
genome project in China. Academician WU Min, at that time, the director of the Department of Life Sciences,
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), strongly recommended the NSFC committee to initiate
some major projects for human genome research. His efforts were supported by the academician LIANG
Dong-Cai, Deputy Director of the NSFC Committee and of the Department of Life Sciences, and thus, the first
major human genome project in China was funded to study the genetic variations among the 56 Chinese nationalities.
Meanwhile, the Chinese scientists working in the field of medical genetics gradually accepted the
concept of genomics, and by applying the genomics technology, they carried out a series of research and made
significant breakthroughs in the study and identification of disease associated genes, particularly the cloning
and identification of genes related to leukemia, solid tumors (including liver cancer, colorectal cancer and nasopharyngeal
cancer) and genetic diseases (such as deaf). Furthermore, substantial progresses were made in the
development of technologies for human genome genotyping and genetic polymorphism detection, as well as for
expressed sequence tag (EST) and full-length cDNA cloning and sequencing. All these achievements greatly
strengthened the Chinese scientists' confidence and encouraged them to further explore the human genome. On
the other hand, they made people perceive and appreciate the Chinese human genetic resources, for their abundance
in population (more than 1 billion) with 56 nationalities and numerous relatively isolated ethnic groups.
If we actively collect and utilize the resources with intelligence in research, along with the HGP, we will be
able to and obligatory to make great contributions to the course of human health, especially to the oriental people
for the medical purpose.
With this scientific and historical background, in July 1997, the academician TAN Jia-Zhen petitioned the
central government, appealing for the protection of the Chinese genetic resources, and proposed to establish the
national human genome center to speed up the human genome research in China. This petition attracted great
attention from the Party Central Committee and the State Council. JIANG Ze-Min, the General Secretary of the
Party and the President of the People's Republic of China, wrote: One, who did not think far enough ahead,
inevitably may have trouble right-a-way. We have to cherish our genetic resources. Thus, the Shanghai Human
Genome Research Center, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai Municipal Government,
Pudong District, Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, and six research institutions in Shanghai, was founded
on March 4, 1998. On October 20, 1998, the center was officially inaugurated as the Chinese National Human
Genome Center at Shanghai (abbreviated as the South Center), thus becoming the first national research center
located in the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park of Pudong District. The academician CHEN Zhu has served as the director
of the center ever since, while ZHAO Guo-Ping acted as the executive director of the center after 2002.
At the same time, the National Human Genome Center at Beijing (the North Center) was established with the
support of the Ministry of Science and Technology and Beijing Municipal Government, and the academician
QIANG Bo-Qin served as the director. The Huada (Chinese Giant/Wash U) Genome Center, directed by
YANG Huan-Ming, was also established by the Institute of Genetics, CAS. Together with the previously established
National Gene Research Center, which was established by the joint efforts of both CAS and the Shanghai
Municipality for rice genome research, a basic genomics sequencing and research framework formed in China,
with Beijing and Shanghai each equipped with two genome centers. The connection between the human genome
project and the rice genome project was greatly promoted, which eventually facilitated the success of the
rice genome project.
The 9th National Five-Year Plan (1996-2000) witnessed the rise, the struggle and the success of the Chinese
genomic research. In the early stage of the 9th Five-Year Plan, the scientific committee of the 863 Program
thoroughly assessed the international trend of research related to human health and diseases and promptly de-
termined to set up a key project for human genome research, and soon upgraded it as a major project. The
committee set up a two 1% goal with respect to the genomic sequencing and the full-length cDNA identification,
respectively, and coordinated the efforts of Shanghai and Beijing local government to set up the national
human genome research centers for more efficient implementation. After acquiring the one percent share of
human genome sequencing, the committee, together with CAS, promptly reinforced the support for the sequencing
project. Coordinately, the National Key Basic Research Program, known as the 973 Program, started
a disease genomics project in 1998 led by the academicians CHEN Zhu and QIANG Bo-Qin. The 973 Program
continued to fund the project in 2004 under the title of Systems Biology for the Multi-gene Complex Diseases
coordinated by CHEN Zhu.
The Chinese human genome project fully exemplified the Chinese characteristics. With respect to the
project design, besides the above-mentioned two one percent, it reinforced the research upon disease
genomics and focused on the establishment of the disease sample/information collecting network along with
the continuous efforts in cloning and identification of disease related genes by employing human genetic
resources from China and abroad. The human health oriented functional genomics research, including
bioinformatics, transcriptomics, proteomics, structural genomics and other technology platforms, such as model
animals, biochip constructions, etc., were all developed along with the human genomic sequencing project in
the late 1990s. Making full use of the technology and resource advantages of the human genome research
helped to extend the genomic sequencing and related research to plants other than rice, microorganisms
(pathologens for medicine and agriculture or important industry bacteria), insects (silkworm) and parasites
(Schistosoma japonicum). In 2006, the original and assembled genomic sequence data of S. japonicum was
registered in and released from a public bioinformatics database (http://biodb.sgst.cn) . operated by the
Shanghai Bioinformation Technology Development Center, for sharing with the international Schistosoma
mansoni consortium. This action indicated that genomic information analysis technology had set out an
important step forward in merging with the international GeneBank. In summary, although China started late in
genomic sequencing, it has caught up with the international wave in functional genomics, and the achievements
of which effectively enhanced the life science research and biotechnology development in China.
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