The amphioxus genome and the evolution of the chordate karyotype.
Lancelets ('amphioxus') are the modern survivors of an ancient chordate lineage, with a fossil record dating back to the Cambrian period. Here we describe the structure and gene content of the highly polymorphic approximately 520-megabase genome of the Florida lancelet Branchiostoma floridae, and analyse it in the context of chordate evolution. Whole-genome comparisons illuminate the murky relationships among the three chordate groups (tunicates, lancelets and vertebrates), and allow not only reconstruction of the gene complement of the last common chordate ancestor but also partial reconstruction of its genomic organization, as well as a description of two genome-wide duplications and subsequent reorganizations in the vertebrate lineage. These genome-scale events shaped the vertebrate genome and provided additional genetic variation for exploitation during vertebrate evolution.
Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Walnut Creek, California 94598, USA.
Nicholas H
NH
Putnam
Thomas
T
Butts
David E K
DE
Ferrier
Rebecca F
RF
Furlong
Uffe
U
Hellsten
Takeshi
T
Kawashima
Marc
M
Robinson-Rechavi
Eiichi
E
Shoguchi
Astrid
A
Terry
Jr-Kai
JK
Yu
E Lia
EL
Benito-Gutiérrez
Inna
I
Dubchak
Jordi
J
Garcia-Fernàndez
Jeremy J
JJ
Gibson-Brown
Igor V
IV
Grigoriev
Amy C
AC
Horton
Pieter J
PJ
de Jong
Jerzy
J
Jurka
Vladimir V
VV
Kapitonov
Yuji
Y
Kohara
Yoko
Y
Kuroki
Erika
E
Lindquist
Susan
S
Lucas
Kazutoyo
K
Osoegawa
Len A
LA
Pennacchio
Asaf A
AA
Salamov
Yutaka
Y
Satou
Tatjana
T
Sauka-Spengler
Jeremy
J
Schmutz
Tadasu
T
Shin-I
Atsushi
A
Toyoda
Marianne
M
Bronner-Fraser
Asao
A
Fujiyama
Linda Z
LZ
Holland
Peter W H
PW
Holland
Nori
N
Satoh
Daniel S
DS
Rokhsar
D000818:Animals; D043344:Chordata / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D020440:Gene Duplication; D005796:Genes / Q000235:genetics; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D007621:Karyotyping; D005810:Multigene Family; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D026801:Synteny; D013997:Time Factors; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D011506:Proteins