title: The ABC's of comparative genomics in the Brassicaceae: building blocks of crucifer genomes.
abstract: In this review we summarize recent advances in our understanding of phylogenetics, polyploidization and comparative genomics in the family Brassicaceae. These findings pave the way for a unified comparative genomic framework. We integrate several of these findings into a simple system of 24 conserved chromosomal blocks (labeled A-X). The naming, order, orientation and color-coding of these blocks are based on their positions in a proposed ancestral karyotype (n=8), rather than by their position in the reduced genome of Arabidopsis thaliana (n=5). We show how these crucifer building blocks can be rearranged to model the genome structures of A. thaliana, Arabidopsis lyrata, Capsella rubella and Brassica rapa. A framework for comparison between species is timely because several crucifer genome-sequencing projects are underway.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. eric.schranz@duke.edu
authors.forename: M Eric
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Schranz
authors.forename: Martin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lysak
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mitchell-Olds
mesh_terms: D019607:Brassicaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D018745:Genome, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D023281:Genomics