On Oct. 20, 2011, researchers announced they had sequenced genomic DNA and RNA from the marijuana strain Purple Kush using shortread approaches. A draft haploid genome sequence of 534 Mb and a transcriptome of 30,000 genes was produced. The study results were published in Genome Biology.

Comparison of the transcriptome of Purple Kush with that of the hemp cultivar ‘Finola’ revealed that many genes encoding proteins involved in cannabinoid and precursor pathways are more highly expressed in Purple Kush than in ‘Finola’.

The unique pharmacological properties of cannabis are due to the presence of cannabinoids, a group of more than 100 natural products that mainly accumulate in female flowers (“buds”).  Cannabinoid content and composition is highly variable among cannabis plants. The availability of the Cannabis sativa genome enables the study of a multifunctional plant that occupies a unique role in human culture.