독도강치게놈연구사업

유니스트 코직은 독도강치의 게놈해독 연구에 관심이 있다.

The ministry of ocean and marine industry of Korea is launching a deextinction research program through the national institute of fisheris science (NIFS) to first sequence Doko sealion (Zalophus japonicus) genomes from bones found in Dokdo islands. Doko sealions have been exitinct due to hunting for oils and skin in the past decades. NIFS researchers have been excavating the sealion bones in the past years in Dokdo islands. However, due to scarcity and bad preservation state, it has been difficult to collect the bones for DNA extraction. Also, even if the bones have been collected and DNA is extracted, it will be necessary to collect more Zalophus japonicus samples from other places for comparative genomics study. Therefore, NIFS and associated researchers such as KOGIC (Korean Genomics Center) of UNIST are seeking samples from museums and research institutes. The results will be genomic sequences that are analyzed and compared to Californian sealions to establish clear phylogentic relationships with other sealions of the world.