Identification of the shortest species-specific oligonucleotide sequences.

ABSTRACT: Despite the exponential increase in sequencing information driven by massively parallel DNA sequencing technologies, universal and succinct genomic fingerprints for each organism are still missing. Identifying the shortest species-specific nucleotide sequences offers insights into species evolution and holds potential practical applications in agriculture, wildlife conservation, and healthcare. We propose a new method for sequence analysis termed nucleic "quasi-primes," the shortest occurring sequences in each of 45,076 organismal reference genomes, present in one genome and absent from every other examined genome. In the human genome, we find that the genomic loci of nucleic quasi-primes are most enriched for genes associated with brain development and cognitive function. In a single-cell

SUBMITTER: Mouratidis I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11874967 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature