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As the use of next-generation sequencing has proliferated, so has the range of sequencing applications and software tools that are available for assembling sequences. To help readers to make informed choices about assembly techniques, this Review discusses the available options and practical trade-offs.
A key challenge in genetics is predicting variation in phenotypic traits from the genome sequences of individuals. Work in model organisms indicates that a combination of genetic information andin vivomeasurements of biological states will be essential for useful phenotypic predictions, including in humans.
Comparisons of quantitative trait (QST) and neutral molecular marker (FST) divergence allow genetic drift and natural selection to be distinguished between as causes of population differentiation. QST–FSTcomparisons are being increasingly used to tackle a range of evolutionary and ecological questions.
Bacterial chromosomes were originally thought to be unstructured and largely unconstrained, but recent advances have supplemented historical research to reveal a highly structured and dynamic chromosome organization. This Review discusses our latest understanding of bacterial chromosome organization, including how the simultaneous nature of DNA replication and chromosome segregation in bacteria necessitates intricate interplay between these processes.
Advances in epigenomic and genetic studies have shown that DNA methylation undergoes local and global changes during mammalian development. This Review discusses the dynamics of this important epigenetic modification across various developmental stages.
In this Opinion article, the authors discuss models that could explain the evolution of stress-induced mutagenesis in bacteria. They include a new model that argues that genetic drift could have a role in the evolution of low-fidelity DNA polymerases.
How much transgenerational epigenetic inheritance takes place, and what impact does this have on organisms? We asked five leading researchers — working on key model organisms and on human disease — for their views.
