Genome Reveals the Similarities and Differences Between Mice and Man

What do humans and mice have in common? According to a new study, they have quite a few striking similarities. Scientists have taken a look at the genomes of human and mice and have found that, in general, the systems that are used to control gene activity in both species have many similarities.

Mice are often used in lab settings, which means that understanding the similarities and differences between mice and humans is crucial. By learning more about these genomes, researchers can better understand study findings when it comes to medical and health applications.

In this case, the researchers examined the genetic and biochemical programs involved in regulating mouse and human genomes. This latest research is from the mouse ENCODE project, which is part of the ENCODE-ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements-program that aims to build a comprehensive catalog of functional elements in the human and mouse genomes. They found that, in general, the systems that are used to control gene activity have many similarities, and have been conserved through evolutionary time.

More specifically, the scientists found that for the mouse immune system, metabolic processes and stress response, the activity of some genes varied between mice and humans. In addition, the scientists identified genes and other elements involved in regulating these mouse genes, some of which lacked counterparts in humans. Yet they also found that some DNA sequence differences linked to diseases in humans did have counterparts in the mouse genome.

"The mouse has long been a mainstay of biological research models," said Eric Green, one of the researchers, in a news release. "These results provide a wealth of information about how the mouse genome works, and a foundation on which scientists can build to further understand both mouse and human biology. The collection of mouse ENCODE data is a tremendously useful resource for the research community."

The findings are important for further disease research. By discovering gene counterparts and differences, scientists can better understand how humans might respond to certain treatments that are first tested on mice.

The findings are published in four different studies in the journal Nature here, here, here and here.