Genome Digest

What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes

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FLICKR, HEATHER PAUL

Species: Northern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys), among others
Genome size: 2.94 billion base pairs

The gibbon, the last ape to have its genome sequenced, tolerates a surprising number of chromosome rearrangements. The sequence, published today (September 10) in Nature, reveals that gibbon genes involved in chromosome segregation are rich in repetitive sequences called LAVA elements. Such chromosome shifts are known to cause cancer or birth defects in humans, making the gibbon genome a valuable resource for further study.

“We do this work to learn as much as we can about gibbons, which are some of the rarest species on the planet,” lead author Lucia Carbone of the Oregon Health & Science University said in a press release. “But we also do this work to better ...

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