Conserved Noncoding Elements Evolve Around the Same Genes Throughout Metazoan Evolution.

ABSTRACT: Conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) are DNA sequences located outside of protein-coding genes that can remain under purifying selection for up to hundreds of millions of years. Studies in vertebrate genomes have revealed that most CNEs carry out regulatory functions. Notably, many of them are enhancers that control the expression of homeodomain transcription factors and other genes that play crucial roles in embryonic development. To further our knowledge of CNEs in other parts of the animal tree, we conducted a large-scale characterization of CNEs in more than 50 genomes from three of the main branches of the metazoan tree: Cnidaria, Mollusca, and Arthropoda. We identified hundreds of thousands of CNEs and reconstructed the temporal dynamics of their appearance in each lineage, as well as

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10988421 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature