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Updated: Jun 3, 2026
09:40
Novel Sequence Discovery by Subtractive Genomics
Published on: January 25, 2019
SyDiG: uncovering Synteny in Distant Genomes
Geraldine Jean1, Macha Nikolski
1Friedrich Miescher Laboratory of the Max Planck Society, Tuebingen, Germany. geraldine.jean@tuebingen.mpg.de
Summary
This study introduces a novel algorithm for detecting genomic synteny, outperforming existing methods in genomes with significant evolutionary divergence, such as yeasts. The new approach enhances comparative genomics across diverse species.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Bioinformatics
- Comparative Genomics
Background:
- Current synteny detection methods excel for closely related species like mammals.
- These methods struggle with genomes exhibiting large evolutionary distances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a new algorithm for synteny computation adaptable to genomes across wide evolutionary spans.
- To improve the accuracy and applicability of synteny detection in comparative genomics.
Main Methods:
- A three-step process: identifying initial microsyntenic homologous regions.
- Extending homologous boundaries to define larger conserved segments.
- Reconstructing syntenic blocks by grouping conserved genomic segments across multiple genomes.
Main Results:
- The new algorithm demonstrates comparable performance to GRIMM-Synteny on mammalian genomes.
- It significantly outperforms GRIMM-Synteny on Hemiascomycetous yeasts, highlighting its efficacy for distant evolutionary relationships.
Conclusions:
- The developed algorithm offers a robust solution for synteny detection in genomes with substantial evolutionary divergence.
- This advancement facilitates more accurate comparative genomic analyses across a broader range of species.
Related Concept Videos
02:31Synteny 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.
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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...
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The seminal work of Ohno in 1970 popularized the idea of gene duplication and divergence. DNA sequence comparison studies reveal that a large portion of the genes in bacteria, archaebacteria, and eukaryotes was generated by gene duplication and divergence, indicating its critical role in evolution.
The duplicated copies of the gene are called Paralogs. Paralogs with similar sequences and functions form a gene family. Across several species, a large number of gene families are characterized.
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