Evolution of mammalian genome organization inferred from comparative gene mapping.docVIP

/2001/2/6/reviews/0005.1 Review Evolution of mammalian genome organization inferred from comparative gene mapping William J Murphy, Roscoe Stanyon and Stephen J O?Brien Address: Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, National Cancer Institute, rederick, MD 21702-1201, USA. Correspondence: William J Murphy. E-mail: murphywi@ Published: 5 June 2001 GenomeBiology 2001, 2(6):reviews0005.1–0005.8 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at /2001/2/6/reviews/0005 ? BioMed Central Ltd (Print ISSN 1465-6906; Online ISSN 1465-6914) Abstract Comparative genome analyses, including chromosome painting in over 40 diverse mammalian species, ordered gene maps from several representatives of different mammalian and vertebrate orders, and large-scale sequencing of the human and mouse genomes are beginning to provide insight into the rates and patterns of chromosomal evolution on a whole-genome scale, as well as into the forces that have sculpted the genomes of extant mammalian species. As the Human Genome Project enters a phase focusing on comparative and functional genomics, further emphasis will be placed on understanding our genes, their regulation and expression and their complex interactions, primarily as they pertain to human health and medicine. It will be important to resolve the evolutionary history of the human genome, as this has affected both genome organization and chromosomal architecture. Mapping and sequencing projects in several ver- tebrate species have recently begun to reveal the conserva- tive, though dynamic, nature of genome organization [1,2]. questions that remain to be answered with these technolo- gies, and suggest some anticipated benefits that would derive from future comparisons of whole-genome sequences. Approaches to understanding genome evolution Genome organization has traditionally been inferred using two approaches: cytogenetic mapping and genetic-linkage or physic