University of Vienna maps 600-million-year 'evolutionary highways' in animal genomes
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University of Vienna researchers compared more than 5,800 chromosome-scale genomes from 4,454 species across 19 animal phyla. The study, published in Science Advances, found that animal genome evolution follows restricted, irreversible pathways the team calls 'evolutionary highways.' The findings provide a framework for understanding and conserving animal biodiversity.
Key Facts
- The study compared more than 5,800 publicly available chromosome-scale genomes representing 4,454 species from 19 animal phyla.
- The research was published in Science Advances and led by Oleg Simakov, a professor at the University of Vienna.
- The team created a framework called evolutionary genome topology to map animal genome structures onto a single map.
- The findings suggest that chromosome changes move along a restricted set of irreversible pathways described as 'evolutionary highways.'
Genome Comparison Scale
The researchers examined more than 5,800 publicly available chromosome-scale genomes representing 4,454 species from 19 animal phyla. According to the team, this is the largest comparison of its kind across the animal tree of life. Many sequenced genomes remain 'drafts' that reveal which genes an animal possesses without showing exactly where those genes are positioned along its chromosomes. Chromosome-scale assemblies arrange genes in their proper order across complete chromosomes and are considerably more difficult to produce. Only recently have enough species been analyzed at this level to make a broad comparison across the animal kingdom possible.
Evolutionary Genome Topology
To organize such a vast amount of information, the scientists created a framework called evolutionary genome topology. It places the enormous variety of animal genome structures onto a single map. That map revealed that genome architecture does not appear to change randomly. Instead, animal lineages tend to move along 'evolutionary highways.' Evidence from hundreds of living species shows that different groups traveled along these routes or departed from them at different times and at different rates.
Conservation Implications
Oleg Simakov, a professor at the University of Vienna who co-led the study, said understanding these rules of evolution lets researchers ask where genome evolution might go next. He added that it enables the identification of key measures for the conservation of animal biodiversity. The findings may provide a valuable foundation for efforts to understand and conserve animal biodiversity.
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University of Vienna maps 600-million-year 'evolutionary highways' in animal genomes
