New SMRT sequencing from Pacific Biosciences could assist researchers seeking to understand the genetic codes of primates, including gorillas. The technique could also be utilized to study the underlying causes of diseases that affect human beings, investigators report.

Single Molecule, Real-Time (SMRT) technology can be used to read long sequences of genetic code, written within genomes.  

Sequencing the entire gorilla genome could assist researchers learning about the basis of language and other characteristics that separate our species from lower primates. Information may also be gleaned about diseases that affect humans, as well as actions of our nervous system and brain.

The current model of the genome of gorillas contains over 400,000 gaps, and missing data is replaced with human genetic information. Using the PacBio system, researchers were able to read 96 percent of that missing data, leaving around 16,000 gaps in the recorded data.

These gaps are the result of repeating sequences of genetic code that trick sequencing processes into breaking apart data read from a given genome. These repeated segments are common in primates, including our own species.

The DNA of a female gorilla living at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago was the subject of the unique study. Researchers who utilized SMRT technology to read the genome also took data from six other species of lowland gorillas. This allowed the team to create a reference genome for scientists seeking to understand the genetic code of several primate species.

"The genome assembly that results from using the long-read data provides a more complete picture of gene content, structural variation and repeat biology, as well as allows us to refine population genetic and evolutionary inferences," researchers wrote in an article announcing the results of their study.

With this new study, biologists now know nearly as much about the genetic structure of lowland gorillas as they do human beings and mice. Only chimpanzees possess a genetic code more similar to humans as that found in lowland gorillas, researchers report.

Some of the most important differences between the genetic codes of humans and gorillas include genes controlling the immune system, insulin regulation and reproduction.

The study filling in gaps in the gorilla genome utilizing SMRT technology from PacBio was profiled in the journal Science.