RGB-Net, a Collaborative European Network on Rabbit Genome Biology: Taking out the Rabbit from a Dark Burrow

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has been considered a marginal species in the livestock ark in terms of research activities. However it is one of the domestic animal with the broadest range of economic and scientific applications: it is important for meat, fur and wool production; it is a pet with a large number of breeds and lines characterized by a wide spectrum of coat colours and phenotypic traits; it is the most important non-rodent laboratory mammal; it is a biotechnology tool useful to produce biomedical reagents like polyclonal antibodies; it is a wild species and a model for animal domestication; in many regions, it is also a pest. RGB-Net is a COST Action (TD1101) granted by the European Union COST program for the period 2011-2015 in the domain of Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences. RGB-Net aims at building an open international network of research organizations, associations and companies in all rabbit research areas (breeding, genetics, bioinformatics, physiology, evolution, embryology, immunology, etc.) to facilitate the translation of rabbit genomic information from experimental data into usable benefits and applications. RGB-Net is Chaired by University of Bologna and INRA and is organized in four working groups that gather together about 200 experts from 21 European countries as well as from USA, China, Japan and South Africa. RGB-Net organizes workshops, meetings, short term scientific missions and is coordinating research initiatives in the field of rabbit genome biology.