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Although centromeres are generally known for their involvement in attaching chromosomes to microtubules, more diverse roles for these chromosomal regions are now becoming clear. Recent evidence implicates centromeres as central to crucial steps in meiotic chromosome segregation.
It is increasingly clear that genetic factors contribute to the different manifestation of human diseases between males and females. Genotype-by-sex interactions on disease risk might be common in humans; ignoring such effects in searches for disease-associated genes may result in important loci being missed.
The correct location and structure of centromeric chromatin is essential for accurate chromosome segregation. This Review brings together recent findings relating to the centromeric histone H3 variant, CENP-A, and discusses possible models for the establishment and propagation of centromeric chromatin.
Recent studies have advanced our understanding of gene classes that tend to undergo duplication, and how natural selection acts on them. The co-option of pre-existing, secondary protein functions is emerging as a widespread feature in the evolution of genetic novelty through gene duplication.
Recent studies have shown that there is enormous variation in the number of chemosensory receptor genes among the genomes of different organisms. Much of the variation can be explained by adaptation, but random duplication and deletion of genes also have important roles.
Selectionists and neutralists invoke different theories to explain the emergence of evolutionary innovation. Our recent understanding of molecular phenotypes makes it possible to reconcile these two views by proposing that neutral variants prepare the ground for adaptive mutations to occur.
