Our paper detailing unique features of microchromosome structure and function has been accepted at Molecular Biology and Evolution!
Congratulations to Blair, Drew, Rich, and Todd!
Perry, B.W., D.R. Schield, R.H. Adams, and T.A. Castoe. 2020. Microchromosomes exhibit distinct features of vertebrate chromosome structure and function with underappreciated ramifications for genome evolution. In Press at Molecular Biology and Evolution. PDF coming soon.
Abstract
Microchromosomes are common yet poorly understood components of many vertebrate genomes. Recent studies have revealed that microchromosomes contain a high density of genes and possess other distinct characteristics compared to macrochromosomes. Whether distinctive characteristics of microchromosomes extend to features of genome structure and organization, however, remains an open question. Here we analyze Hi-C sequencing data from multiple vertebrate lineages and show that microchromosomes exhibit consistently high degrees of interchromosomal interaction (particularly with other microchromosomes), appear to be co-localized to a common central nuclear territory, and are comprised of a higher proportion of open chromatin than macrochromosomes. These findings highlight an unappreciated level of diversity in vertebrate genome structure and function, and raise important questions regarding the evolutionary origins and ramifications of microchromosomes and the genes that they house.