When the first issue of Genome Research appeared 10 years ago, avian genomics was still in a mapping phase (Burt and Cheng 1998
). The idea of sequencing the chicken genome was only a dim possibility and comparative maps were hailed as an alternative mapping resource. As the first livestock species to be fully sequenced, the chicken genome sequence is a landmark in both avian biology and agriculture. The avian community was small but has grown rapidly in the last two years thanks to the EST and genome sequencing programs. The challenge now is to keep the momentum going and to exploit these resources. The creation of AvianNET, an organization to encourage the exchange of tools and resources in avian biology, is a start but only a beginning. The chicken genome was determined to inform us about the nature and function of the human genome. It has also informed us about the nature of birds and other vertebrates. With 9600 extant avian species, there is still a lot to learn. Birds, in particular, poultry and ducks are a source of many infectious diseases (Avian Flu: Web Focus 2005) and genomics is going to tell us a lot about host responses to these pathogens. There is therefore a need to sequence and characterize other avian genomes. This time these sequences will be used to inform us about responses to pathogens that infect both humans and birds.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank many colleagues and collaborators for their continued support and enthusiasm on issues related to avian genomics and acknowledge financial support from the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (UK). In addition, I would like to thank the useful comments and suggestions from the anonymous reviewers.
Footnotes
E-mail Dave.Burt@bbsrc.ac.uk ; fax +44-131-440-0434.
Article and publication are at http://www.genome.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gr.4141805.
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