title: Novel Insights into Chromosome Evolution in Birds, Archosaurs, and Reptiles.
abstract: Homologous synteny blocks (HSBs) and evolutionary breakpoint regions (EBRs) in mammalian chromosomes are enriched for distinct DNA features, contributing to distinct phenotypes. To reveal HSB and EBR roles in avian evolution, we performed a sequence-based comparison of 21 avian and 5 outgroup species using recently sequenced genomes across the avian family tree and a newly-developed algorithm. We identified EBRs and HSBs in ancestral bird, archosaurian (bird, crocodile, and dinosaur), and reptile chromosomes. Genes involved in the regulation of gene expression and biosynthetic processes were preferably located in HSBs, including for example, avian-specific HSBs enriched for genes involved in limb development. Within birds, some lineage-specific EBRs rearranged genes were related to distinct phenotypes, such as forebrain development in parrots. Our findings provide novel evolutionary insights into genome evolution in birds, particularly on how chromosome rearrangements likely contributed to the formation of novel phenotypes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, University of London, NW1 0TU, UK.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farré
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, SY23 3DA, UK.
authors.forename: Jitendra
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narayan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences, Aberystwyth University, SY23 3DA, UK.
authors.forename: Gancho T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Slavov
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, University of London, NW1 0TU, UK.
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Damas
authors.affiliation: Illinois Informatics Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
authors.forename: Loretta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Auvil
authors.affiliation: China National GeneBank, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, 1350, Denmark.
authors.forename: Cai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, 20815, USA.
authors.forename: Erich D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Jarvis
authors.affiliation: Department of Genomics and Genetics, the Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Midlothian EH25 9RG, UK.
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Burt
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UK.
authors.forename: Darren K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Griffin
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, University of London, NW1 0TU, UK dlarkin@rvc.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Denis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Larkin
mesh_terms: D000489:Alligators and Crocodiles / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016678:Genome / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012104:Reptiles / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D026801:Synteny / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: birds; chromosome rearrangements; comparative genomics; genome evolution; reptiles