Mechanisms Driving Karyotype Evolution And Genomic Architecture

Understanding of the origin of species and their adaptability to new environments is one of the main questions in biology. This is fueled by the ongoing debate on species concepts and facilitated by the availability of an unprecedented large number of genomic resources. Genomes are organized into chromosomes, where significant variations in number and morphology are observed among species due to large-scale structural variants such as inversions, translocations, fusions, and fissions. This genomic reshuffling provides, in the long term, new chromosomal forms on which natural selection can act upon, contributing to the origin of biodiversity. This book contains mainly articles, reviews, and an opinion piece that explore numerous aspects of genome plasticity among taxa that will help in understanding the dynamics of genome composition, the evolutionary relationships between species and, in the long run, speciation.

Understanding of the origin of species and their adaptability to new environments is one of the main questions in biology. This is fueled by the ongoing debate on species concepts and facilitated by the availability of an unprecedented large number of genomic resources. Genomes are organized into chromosomes, where significant variations in number and morphology are observed among species due to large-scale structural variants such as inversions, translocations, fusions, and fissions. This genomic reshuffling provides, in the long term, new chromosomal forms on which natural selection can act upon, contributing to the origin of biodiversity. This book contains mainly articles, reviews, and an opinion piece that explore numerous aspects of genome plasticity among taxa that will help in understanding the dynamics of genome composition, the evolutionary relationships between species and, in the long run, speciation.

This topic has been realized, and is in collaboration with Dr. Constanze Pentzold, Post Doctoral Researcher at the Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Jena.

This eBook presents all 10 articles published under the Frontiers Research Topic "Evolutionary Feedbacks Between Population Biology and Genome Architecture", edited by Scott V. Edwards and Tariq Ezaz. With the rise of rapid genome sequencing across the Tree of Life, challenges arise in understanding the major evolutionary forces influencing the structure of microbial and eukaryotic genomes, in particular the prevalence of natural selection versus genetic drift in shaping those genomes. Additional complexities in understanding genome architecture arise with the increasing incidence of interspecific hybridization as a force for shaping genotypes and phenotypes. A key paradigm shift facilitating a more nuanced interpretation of genomes came with the rise of the nearly neutral theory in the 1970s, followed by a greater appreciation for the contribution of nonadaptive forces such as genetic drift to genome structure in the 1990s and 2000s. The articles published in this eBook grapple with these issues and provide an update as to the ways in which modern population genetics and genome informatics deepen our understanding of the subtle interplay between these myriad forces. From intraspecific to macroevolutionary studies, population biology and population genetics are now major tools for understanding the broad landscape of how genomes evolve across the Tree of Life. This volume is a celebration across diverse taxa of the contributions of population genetics thinking to genome studies. We hope it spurs additional research and clarity in the ongoing search for rules governing the evolution of genomes.

Genome Chaos: Rethinking Genetics, Evolution, and Molecular Medicine transports readers from Mendelian Genetics to 4D-genomics, building a case for genes and genomes as distinct biological entities, and positing that the genome, rather than individual genes, defines system inheritance and represents a clear unit of selection for macro-evolution. In authoring this thought-provoking text, Dr. Heng invigorates fresh discussions in genome theory and helps readers reevaluate their current understanding of human genetics, evolution, and new pathways for advancing molecular and precision medicine. Bridges basic research and clinical application and provides a foundation for re-examining the results of large-scale omics studies and advancing molecular medicine Gathers the most pressing questions in genomic and cytogenomic research Offers alternative explanations to timely puzzles in the field Contains eight evidence-based chapters that discuss 4d-genomics, genes and genomes as distinct biological entities, genome chaos and macro-cellular evolution, evolutionary cytogenetics and cancer, chromosomal coding and fuzzy inheritance, and more

This volume reviews the latest research on the functional implications of nuclear, chromosomal and genomic organization and architecture on cell and organismal biology, and development and progression of diseases. The architecture of the cell nucleus and non-random arrangement of chromosomes, genes, and the non-membranous nuclear bodies in the three-dimensional (3D) space alters in response to the environmental, mechanical, chemical, and temporal cues. The changes in the nuclear, chromosomal, or genomic compaction and configuration modify the gene expression program and induce or inhibit epigenetic modifications. The intrinsically programmed rearrangements of the nuclear architecture are necessary for cell differentiation, the establishment of cell fate during development and maturation of tissues and organs including the immune, muscle, and nervous systems. The non-programmed changes in the nuclear architecture can lead to fragmentation of the nucleus and instability of the genome and thus cause cancer. Microbial and viral infections can lead to a clustering of centromeres, telomeres and ribosomal DNA and alter the properties of the nuclear membrane, allowing large immobile macromolecules to enter the nucleus. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technologies combined with nucleus/chromosome conformation capture, super-resolution imaging, chromosomal contact maps methods, integrative modeling, and genetic approaches, are uncovering novel features and importance of nuclear, chromosomal and genomic architecture. This book is an interesting read for cell biologists, researchers studying the structure and function of chromosomes, and anyone else who wants to get an overview of the field of nuclear, chromosomal and genomic architecture.

A grand summary and synthesis of the tremendous amount of data now available in the post genomic era on the structural features, architecture, and evolution of the human genome. The authors demonstrate how such architectural features may be important to both evolution and to explaining the susceptibility to those DNA rearrangements associated with disease. Technologies to assay for such structural variation of the human genome and to model genomic disorders in mice are also presented. Two appendices detail the genomic disorders, providing genomic features at the locus undergoing rearrangement, their clinical features, and frequency of detection.

Ecology and Evolution of Cancer is a timely work outlining ideas that not only represent a substantial and original contribution to the fields of evolution, ecology, and cancer, but also goes beyond by connecting the interfaces of these disciplines. This work engages the expertise of a multidisciplinary research team to collate and review the latest knowledge and developments in this exciting research field. The evolutionary perspective of cancer has gained significant international recognition and interest, which is fully understandable given that somatic cellular selection and evolution are elegant explanations for carcinogenesis. Cancer is now generally accepted to be an evolutionary and ecological process with complex interactions between tumor cells and their environment sharing many similarities with organismal evolution. As a critical contribution to this field of research the book is important and relevant for the applications of evolutionary biology to understand the origin of cancers, to control neoplastic progression, and to prevent therapeutic failures. Covers all aspects of the evolution of cancer, appealing to researchers seeking to understand its origins and effects of treatments on its progression, as well as to lecturers in evolutionary medicine Functions as both an introduction to cancer and evolution and a review of the current research on this burgeoning, exciting field, presented by an international group of leading editors and contributors Improves understanding of the origin and the evolution of cancer, aiding efforts to determine how this disease interferes with biotic interactions that govern ecosystems Highlights research that intends to apply evolutionary principles to help predict emergence and metastatic progression with the aim of improving therapies