Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Synteny and Evolution

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral chromosome underwent...

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...

Evolution of Microbial Genome

Evolution of Microbial Genome

Microbial genome evolution is a highly dynamic process shaped by continual gene gain and loss across species and strains. This genomic flexibility allows microorganisms to adapt rapidly to environmental pressures and interactions with other organisms. Central to understanding this diversity is the distinction between the core and pan genomes.The core genome comprises the genes shared by all sampled strains of a species, representing essential functions needed for fundamental cellular processes.

Convergent Evolution

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.The structures that arise from convergent evolution are called analogous structures. They are similar in function even if they are dissimilar in structure. Further, structures can be analogous while also...

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

ProteoMeter: a pipeline for integrating multi-PTM and limited proteolysis data to reveal modification-structure coupling at the residue level.

NAR genomics and bioinformatics·2026

Same author

DeSpotX: Identifiability-Based Decontamination for Spatial Transcriptomics.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Non-invasive profiling of the tumour microenvironment with spatial ecotypes.

Nature·2026

Same author

Howler monkey Platy-1 and Alu SINEs: a resource for Alouatta genomics.

Mobile DNA·2026

Same author

Lymph node colonization induces tissue remodeling via immunosuppressive fibroblast-myeloid cell niches supporting metastatic tolerance.

Cancer cell·2026

Same author

Platy-1 SINEs from Thirteen Diverse Genomes Reveal Callithrichidae Unique Amplification, Recent <i>Alouatta</i> Mobilization and Insights into Platyrrhine Phylogenetics.

Genes·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq

Published on: May 28, 2021

SINEs, evolution and genome structure in the opossum.

Wanjun Gu¹, David A Ray, Jerilyn A Walker

¹Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.

|April 20, 2007

Summary

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) in Monodelphis domestica reflect geographic distances and show GC content evolution similar to human Alu elements, despite independent origins. Their insertion patterns reveal insights into genome structure and evolutionary processes.

More Related Videos

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Published on: October 23, 2019

The Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata: From Zygotes to Stable Mutant Lines

The Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata: From Zygotes to Stable Mutant Lines

Published on: December 23, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq

Published on: May 28, 2021

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Tissue Collection of Bats for -Omics Analyses and Primary Cell Culture

Published on: October 23, 2019

The Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata: From Zygotes to Stable Mutant Lines

The Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata: From Zygotes to Stable Mutant Lines

Published on: December 23, 2025

Area of Science:

Genomics
Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Evolution

Background:

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) are ubiquitous non-autonomous retrotransposons in eukaryotic genomes.
SINE activity, distribution, and evolution provide insights into genomic structure and evolutionary processes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate recent SINE1 activity and evolution in Monodelphis domestica.
To correlate SINE1 distribution and insertion patterns with geographic distance and GC content.

Main Methods:

Amplification of over one hundred SINE1 loci in 43 M. domestica individuals from five geographic locations.
Genome-wide comparison of SINE1 densities and GC content.
Analysis of SINE1 insertion biases and substitution patterns.

Main Results:

SINE1 insertion-based genetic distances among populations reflected geographic distance, indicating recent expansion.
High SINE1 density correlated with high GC content in specific genomic regions.
Young SINE1s showed unbiased GC content for insertion, suggesting GC preference accumulation over time.
GC content heterogeneity in M. domestica is reinforced by substitution processes, similar to chickens but unlike eutherian mammals.
Metatherian mammals show high CpG substitution rates, a potential convergence with eutherians.

Conclusions:

SINE1 evolution in M. domestica shares similarities with human Alu evolution, including GC content dynamics, despite independent origins.
Substitution processes reinforce GC content heterogeneity in the M. domestica genome.
Recent Monodelphis lineage may be shifting towards lower GC content equilibria.
High CpG substitution rates in marsupials and eutherians represent convergent evolution.