Sequencing of a hagfish genome — one of the two jawless vertebrate lineages (cyclostomes) — constrains the timing and nature of genome duplication events that characterize early vertebrate evolution. Genome duplications occurred among ancestral vertebrates and cyclostomes, but genome-doubling in ancestral jawed vertebrates was caused by hybridization, which resulted in an unparalleled morphological diversification.
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References
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This is a summary of: Yu, D. et al. Hagfish genome elucidates vertebrate whole-genome duplication events and their evolutionary consequences. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02299-z (2024).
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Hagfish genome sequence sheds light on early vertebrate genome evolution. Nat Ecol Evol 8, 372–373 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02302-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-023-02302-7
