Comparative Annotation of the Buffalo Genome

The water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) genome has been recently assembled de novo from the combined set of 454 and Illumina sequencing data. We are undertaking a comparative effort with the aim of finding structural and functional similarities and divergences between the buffalo genome and those of closely related species, whose genomes have been assembled in the past few years, namely the domestic cow Bos taurus (cattle) and the Indian cow, Bos indicus (zebu). We additionally compare the buffalo genes reconstructed from high-throughput transcriptome sequencing to the cattle and zebu genomes and transcriptomes, to find homologues and buffalo-specific transcriptional units. We also look for novel genes and expression differences between the related species. Our comparative efforts will shed light on the evolution of these species that played a fundamental role in human history and that partake an important position in modern economy as well.