The understanding of how genetic information may be inherited through generations was established by Gregor Mendel in the 1860s when he developed the fundamental principles of inheritance. The science of genetics, however, began to flourish only during the mid-1940s when DNA was identified as the carrier of genetic information. The world has since then witnessed rapid development of genetic technologies, with the latest being genome-editing tools, which have revolutionized fields from medicine to agriculture. This entreviewy walks through the historical timeline of genetics research and deliberates how this discipline might furnish a sustainable future for humanity.
Kingdom | Species | Relevance | Estimated Genome Size (Mbp) | Reference |
Animalia | Aedes mosquito (Aedes aegypti) | Primary vector for yellow and dengue fevers | 1380 | [37] |
Cattle (Bos taurus) | Ruminant biology and evolution | 2870 | [38] | |
Coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) | Tetrapod evolution | 2860 | [39] | |
Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) | Model organism (human population genetics and evolution) | 2400 | [40] | |
Common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) | Biomedical research application | 2260 | [41] | |
Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) | Foundation for promoting mammalian genetic research | 2250 | [42] | |
Honeybee (Apis mellifera) | Model organism (social behaviour and global ecology) | 1800 | [43] | |
Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) | Vertebrate evolution | 700 | [44] | |
Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) | Lophotrochozoa evolution | 559 | [45] | |
Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) | Model organism (combination of reptilian and mammalian characters) | 1840 | [46] | |
Red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) | Model organism (beetle and pest) | 160 | [47] | |
Sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) | Model organism (developmental and system biology) | 814 | [48] | |
Sponges (Amphimedon queenslandica) | Animal origins and early evolution | 167 | [49] | |
Two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) | Cosmopolitan agricultural pest | 90 | [50] | |
Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) | Human origins and evolution | 5400 | [51] | |
Mexican oxolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) | Evolutionary changes in key tissue formation regulators | 32,000 | [52] | |
Galapagos cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi) | Evolutionary changes in the size and proportion of limbs | 1200 | [53] | |
Golden orb-weaver (Nephila clavipes) | Diversity of spider silk genes and their complex expression | 2440 | [54] | |
Plantae | African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) | Oil-bearing crop | 1800 | [55] |
Amborella (Amborella trichopoda) | Angiosperm evolution | 870 | [56] | |
Barrel medic (Medicago truncatula) | Model organism (legume) | 246 | [57] | |
China rose (Rosa chinensis) | Model organism (ornamental plant) | 560 | [58] | |
Dwarf banana (Musa acuminata) | A genome of modern cultivar | 523 | [59] | |
Maize (Zea mays) | Major cereal crop | 2300 | [60] | |
Papaya (Carica papaya) | Tropical fruit crop | 372 | [61] | |
Peanut (A. duranensis, A. ipaensis, A. hypogaea) | Polyploid genetic mechanisms | 2540 | [62][63] | |
Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) | Model organism (legume) | 833 | [64] | |
Potato (Solanum tuberosum) | Major root crop | 844 | [65] | |
Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) | Future crop | 1500 | [66] | |
Rose gum (Eucalyptus grandis) | Fibre and timber crop | 640 | [67] | |
Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) | Major cereal crop | 730 | [68] | |
Soybean (Glycine max) | Major protein and oil crop | 1115 | [69] | |
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) | Major vegetable crop | 900 | [70] | |
Silver birch (Betula pendula) | Model organism (forest biotechnology) | 440 | [71] | |
Durian (Durio zibethinus) | Tropical fruit biology and agronomy | 738 | [72] | |
Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) | Oil metabolism, flowering, and Asterid evolution | 3600 | [73] | |
Tausch’s goatgrass (Aegilops tauschii) | Genetic resources for wheat | 4300 | [74] | |
Barley (Hordeum vulgare) | Major cereal crop | 4800 | [75] | |
Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) | Future crop | 1790 | [76] | |
Fungi | Black mold (Aspergillus niger) | Model fungal | 34 | [77] |
Filamentous fungus (Aspergillus nidulans, A. fumigatus, A. oryzae) | Model fungal | 40 | [78] | |
Fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) | Model yeast | 14 | [79] | |
Rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe grisea) | Model fungal | 40 | [80] | |
Split gill (Schizophyllum commune) | Model mushroom | 39 | [81] | |
Yeast (Candida albicans) | Human pathogen | 4 | [82] | |
Filamentous fungus (Penicillium chrysogenum) | Industrial use | 32 | [83] |