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High-throughput genomics data have provided a genome-wide picture of alternative splicing in multiple organisms. Genome sequencing and comparative genomics have revealed the evolutionary impact of alternative splicing and the constraints on evolution associated with the regulation of alternative splicing.
Genotypes act not only on individuals but on entire ecological communities. Although it is a complex undertaking, it is possible to extend population and quantitative genetics principles to understanding ecosystem processes, and place them in an evolutionary framework.
With its genome sequenced,Arabidopsis thaliana— one of the main genetic model organisms — has moved into the functional genomic era. Classical forward genetic approaches are now being combined with reverse genetics to analyse the complete plant phenome — gene function on the genome scale.
A growing number of diseases are known to result from genetic defects in glycosylation pathways. Recent studies have begun to reveal the diverse ways in which glycosylation defects can cause disease, and the many functions of the glycome.
Segmental duplications are emerging as key contributors to the evolution of primate genomes. Furthermore, determining how, and when, these duplications arose and diversified is proving to be an essential goal in understanding human phenotypic variation and disease susceptibility.
The sequence, structure and folding properties of DNA are being exploited in innovative ways, thereby expanding the uses of DNA beyond its natural calling. This article examines those applications, which range from disease diagnostics to molecular computing.
Evolutionary theory denies the existence of competition between genetically identical cells. But cell–cell competition undeniably occurs at different levels in many organisms, suggesting that it is either itself advantageous or a relic of an advantageous process.
