Sea Urchin Genome Sequenced

John J. Stegeman, Ph.D. Boston University Medical Campus and
Jared V. Goldstone, Ph.D., Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
P42ES007381 and F32ES012794

An international team of 240 scientists from 11 countries has successfully sequenced the genome of the sea urchin adding to the list of organisms whose complete genomes have been unraveled. The effort took two years and included researchers supported by NIEHS. The importance of the effort is demonstrated in the remarkable genetic connections between the spiny echinoderm and humans. The team predicts that the complete DNA sequence will contribute valuable insight to human development processes.

The complete sequence is 814 million DNA bases, which is roughly one-quarter the size of the human genome, although it contains roughly the same number of genes (greater than 23,000). More than seven thousand of the genes are shared with humans making sea urchins closer genetically to humans than other widely studied organisms. Genetically, sea urchins have the most complex innate immune system of any animal studied to date. Surprisingly, they carry genes related to many human diseases such as muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease as well as genes associated with taste, smell, hearing, and balance. Another surprising finding is that the eyeless creatures actually have genes associated with vision that are expressed in tissues in their feet.

Citation: Sea Urchin Genome Sequencing Consortium; The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Science. 2006 Nov 10;314(5801):941-52.