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Related Concept Videos

Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
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Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
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Embryo Microinjection and Electroporation in the Chordate Ciona intestinalis
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Published on: October 16, 2016

Conserved noncoding elements and the evolution of animal body plans.

Tanya Vavouri1, Ben Lehner

  • 1EMBL-CRG Systems Biology Research Unit, Dr. Aiguader 88, Barcelona, Spain. tanya.vavouri@crg.es

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|June 4, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Highly conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) are crucial for animal development. These regulatory sequences evolved in parallel, shaping distinct animal body plans through core gene regulatory networks.

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Area of Science:

  • Genomics
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Highly conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) are present in vertebrate, fly, and nematode genomes.
  • CNEs are located near developmental genes and function as transcriptional enhancers.
  • While CNEs are highly conserved within species groups, they diverge significantly between groups.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To discuss evidence suggesting CNEs are integral to core gene regulatory networks (GRNs).
  • To explore the role of CNEs in specifying diverse animal body plans.
  • To propose a model for the evolution of CNEs during early animal diversification.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics analysis of conserved noncoding elements across different animal phyla.
  • Literature review and synthesis of existing data on CNEs and gene regulation.
  • Phylogenetic analysis to infer evolutionary relationships of CNEs and associated genes.

Main Results:

  • Alternative CNEs are associated with overlapping sets of developmental genes across major animal groups.
  • CNEs are proposed to be key components of the core GRNs that define animal body plans.
  • The evolution of CNEs likely occurred during the "re-wiring" of regulatory interactions in early animal history.

Conclusions:

  • CNEs represent ancient cis-regulatory inputs that arose during early animal evolution.
  • Different animal groups possess distinct sets of CNEs linked to their unique core GRNs.
  • The stability of animal body plans is reflected in the parallel, purifying selection acting on these core regulatory sequences.