An international team of scientists has reported sequencing the genome of the Hydra, a freshwater organism that has been a staple of biological research for 300 years. The organism is currently used in research on regeneration, stem cells, and patterning. The research team discovered that the Hydra has approximately the same number of genes as humans and seems to share many of the same genes. Interestingly, the team also found that the Hydra has genes linked with Huntington's disease and with the beta-amyloid plaque formation seen in Alzheimer's disease, suggesting the possible use of Hydra as a research model for these two diseases. "Having the Hydra genome sequenced also enhances our ability to use it to learn more about the basic biology of stem cells, which are showing great promise for new treatments for a host of injuries and diseases," said Dr. Robert Steele, associate professor and interim chair in biological chemistry at the University of California-Irvine and senior author of the report. The Hydra genome sequence was reported online on March 14, 2010 in Nature. [Press release] [Nature abstract]Login Or Register To Read Full Story