Structure of the germline genome of <i>Tetrahymena thermophila</i> and relationship to the massively rearranged somatic genome.

ABSTRACT: The germline genome of the binucleated ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila undergoes programmed chromosome breakage and massive DNA elimination to generate the somatic genome. Here, we present a complete sequence assembly of the germline genome and analyze multiple features of its structure and its relationship to the somatic genome, shedding light on the mechanisms of genome rearrangement as well as the evolutionary history of this remarkable germline/soma differentiation. Our results strengthen the notion that a complex, dynamic, and ongoing interplay between mobile DNA elements and the host genome have shaped Tetrahymena chromosome structure, locally and globally. Non-standard outcomes of rearrangement events, including the generation of short-lived somatic chromosomes and exc

SUBMITTER: Hamilton EP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5182062 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature