Human Molecular Genetics, Vol 5, 1437-1442, Copyright © 1996 by Oxford University Press
G Elgar
The genome of the pufferfish, Fugu rubripes (Fugu) is compact. With a
similar gene complement to mammals and a genome size of just 400 Mb, gene
density is high averaging one every 6-7 kb. Initial characterization of
this genome has shown that although genes are much smaller and more densely
spaced, their intron/exon structure is conserved with the resulting introns
being small. There is little repetitive DNA in the genome and this greatly
facilitates comparative genomic studies. The coding content of genes is
highly conserved as are critical regulatory elements of some genes. Other
DNA is not, however, and this allows the identification of homologous
coding sequence between Fugu and mammalian genes. Although the genome of
Fugu is 7.5 times smaller than the human genome, not all genes are reduced
proportionately. Some regions of the genome show conserved synteny with
mammalian genomes, although at the present time only short physical
distances have been examined. The structure of the genome is also being
studied. Initial data suggest that this may be different to that found in
mammals. It is not clear that the same kind of isochore structure is
present in this early vertebrate genome. Patterns of methylation may be
different resulting in a different distribution of CpG islands. An attempt
is being made to centralize both resources and data from the genome of Fugu
so that everything may be integrated into a single, publicly accessible
database which in turn, may be integrated with databases from other
organisms.
REVIEWS
Quality not quantity: the pufferfish genome
Dept. of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes' Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
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