Preface/Front Matter

Abstract

The era of genome sequencing began to unfold about ten years ago with the publication of the complete genome sequence of Haemophilus influenzae (1995). Since then, the genomes of hundreds of bacteria and model organisms, such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae (1996), the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (1998), and the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster (2000), as well as the human (2001, 2004), have been completely sequenced and many more species boast a range of resources that have in turn revealed the innate complexity of genomes and engendered even more intense inquiry.

The impact of these genomic resources is neither species—nor discipline —specific. Molecular understanding of model species has proven to be translatable, with insights gained in each holding promise for unraveling perplexities in all. Studies in other species ameliorate the human condition, if not by ultimately enabling better prevention, diagnoses, and treatment of human diseases, then, for example, economically, via the improvement of crops that feed the world, per bioremediation, or through the development of effective insecticides to combat infectious parasites. Furthermore, the usefulness of genomic technology is far-reaching, fueling an increasing number of studies using genomic tools and data in other fields and building bridges, most notably, to evolutionary biology and genetics.

In these pages you will find a collection of articles reprinted from the Tenth Anniversary Issue of the journal Genome Research, which report on a selection of model species’ genomes—from microbes to human—and which strive collectively to illustrate how genomic resources have made a difference