The team led by Professor Yu Xiaochun from the School of Life Sciences at Xihu University has made significant breakthroughs in analyzing the mouse reference genome, obtaining a complete telomere to telomere mouse reference genome sequence, which means that for the first time in human history, the complete picture of mouse genomic DNA has been "seen". Recently, relevant research results were published online in the journal Science. Mice are the most common experimental animals and model organisms in life science research, and their genomic DNA information is directly related to the exploration of human health. At present, the most complete mouse gene "archive" is the reference genome GRCm39, but there are approximately 7% to 8% of unresolved regions. Yu Xiaochun's team has developed a "golden shovel" that can fully explore mouse genes by integrating various third-generation gene sequencing technologies. They used haploid embryonic stem cells of the most commonly used mouse C57BL/6 as samples for gene sequencing and assembly, obtaining a complete high-quality mouse reference genome sequence with a length of 2.77Gbp, including 215.23Mbp of previously unidentified sequences, filling approximately 7.7% of the genome gap. Compared with the previous reference genome version, this study annotated 639 additional protein coding genes, including 140 completely new protein coding genes. These novel protein coding genes may be involved in various biological processes, providing new directions for future research. This study provides a more accurate understanding of the gene sequence of ribosomal DNA, providing a reference for further elucidating the potential differences in protein translation functions of ribosomes. In addition, the study also analyzed the genetic sequence details of the centromere region. The results showed that there were significant differences in the length of centromeres between different chromosomes in mice, and the sequences were rich in transposable elements and repetitive fragments. There were also scattered gene distributions, indicating that active transcription and transposition events may occur in this region, driving adaptive changes in the centromere region and other behaviors. (New Society)