title: DNA double-strand break repair and the evolution of intron density.
abstract: The density of introns is both an important feature of genome architecture and a highly variable trait across eukaryotes. This heterogeneity has posed an evolutionary puzzle for the last 30 years. Recent evidence is consistent with novel introns being the outcome of the error-prone repair of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) via non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). Here we suggest that deletion of pre-existing introns could occur via the same pathway. We propose a novel framework in which species-specific differences in the activity of NHEJ and homologous recombination (HR) during the repair of DSBs underlie changes in intron density.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Population Genetics, Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farlow
authors.forename: Eshwar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Meduri
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schlötterer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D004260:DNA Repair; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D022821:RNA Splice Sites; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D022821:RNA Splice Sites