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Nature 368, 32-38 (3 March 1994) | doi:10.1038/368032a0; Received 15 November 1993; Accepted 5 January 1994

2.2 Mb of contiguous nucleotide sequence from chromosome III of C. elegans

R. Wilson*, R. Ainscough†, K. Anderson*, C. Baynes†, M. Berks†, J. Bonfield†, J. Burton†, M. Connell*, T. Copsey†, J. Cooper*, A. Coulson†, M. Craxton†, S. Dear†, Z. Du*, R. Durbin†, A. Favello*, A. Fraser†, L. Fulton*, A. Gardner†, P. Green*, T. Hawkins†, L. Hillier*, M. Jier*, L. Johnston*, M. Jones†, J. Kershaw†, J. Kirsten*, N. Laisster†, P. Latreille*, J. Lightning†, C. Lloyd†, B. Mortimore†, M. O'Callaghan†, J. Parsons*, C. Percy†, L. Rifken*, A. Roopra*, D. Saunders†, R. Shownkeen†, M. Sims†, N. Smaldon†, A. Smith†, M. Smith†, E. Sonnhammer†, R. Staden†, J. Sulston†, J. Thierry-Mieg‡, K. Thomas†, M. Vaudin*, K. Vaughan*, R. Waterston*, A. Watson†, L. Weinstock*, J. Wilkinson-Sproat† & P. Wohldman*

  1. *Department of Genetics and Genome Sequencing Center, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
  2. †MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Sanger Center, Hinxton Hall, Cambridge CB10 1RQ, UK
  3. ‡CNRS-CRBM et Physique-Mathematique, Montpellier 34033, France
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As part of our effort to sequence the 100-megabase (Mb) genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, we have completed the nucleotide sequence of a contiguous 2,181,032 base pairs in the central gene cluster of chromosome III. Analysis of the finished sequence has indicated an average density of about one gene per five kilobases; comparison with the public sequence databases reveals similarities to previously known genes for about one gene in three. In addition, the genomic sequence contains several intriguing features, including putative gene duplications and a variety of other repeats with potential evolutionary implications.