Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026

2D and 3D Chromosome Painting in Malaria Mosquitoes
Published on: January 6, 2014
Chromosome evolution in malaria mosquitoes inferred from physically mapped genome assemblies
Igor V Sharakhov1,2, Gleb N Artemov2, Maria V Sharakhova1,2
11 Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA.
Abstract:
Polymorphic inversions in mosquitoes are distributed nonrandomly among chromosomes and are associated with ecological, behavioral, and physiological adaptations related to pathogen transmission. Despite their significance, the patterns and mechanism of genome rearrangements are not well understood. Recent sequencing and physical mapping of the genomes for 16 Anopheles mosquito species provided an opportunity to study chromosome evolution at the highest resolution. New studies revealed that fixed rearrangement accumulated [Formula: see text]3 times faster on the X chromosome than on autosomes. The highest densities of transposable elements (TEs) and satellites of different sizes have also been found on the X chromosome, suggesting a mechanism for the inversion generation. The high rate of X chromosome rearrangements is in sharp contrast with the paucity of polymorphic inversions on the X in the majority of anopheline species. This paper highlights the advances in understanding chromosome evolution in malaria vectors and discusses possible future directions in studying mechanisms and biological roles of genome rearrangements.
Related Concept Videos
Symbiosis
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Synteny and Evolution
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
Lampbrush Chromosomes
LBCs are made up of two pairs of conjugating homologous chromatids. Each chromatid consists of alternatively positioned regions of condensed-inactive chromatin and loosely placed-active side loops, which can be contracted and extended. The loops...
Genome Annotation and Assembly
Evolution of Microbial Genome

