Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants
Reptiles known as dinosaurs pervade scientific and popular culture, while interest in their genomics has increased since the 1990s. Birds (part of the crown group Reptilia) are living theropod dinosaurs. Chromosome-level genome assemblies cannot be made from long-extinct biological material, but din...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/106 |
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| author | Darren K. Griffin Denis M. Larkin Rebecca E. O’Connor Michael N. Romanov |
| author_facet | Darren K. Griffin Denis M. Larkin Rebecca E. O’Connor Michael N. Romanov |
| author_sort | Darren K. Griffin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Reptiles known as dinosaurs pervade scientific and popular culture, while interest in their genomics has increased since the 1990s. Birds (part of the crown group Reptilia) are living theropod dinosaurs. Chromosome-level genome assemblies cannot be made from long-extinct biological material, but dinosaur genome organization can be inferred through comparative genomics of related extant species. Most reptiles apart from crocodilians have both macro- and microchromosomes; comparative genomics involving molecular cytogenetics and bioinformatics has established chromosomal relationships between many species. The capacity of dinosaurs to survive multiple extinction events is now well established, and birds now have more species in comparison with any other terrestrial vertebrate. This may be due, in part, to their karyotypic features, including a distinctive karyotype of around <i>n</i> = 40 (~10 macro and 30 microchromosomes). Similarity in genome organization in distantly related species suggests that the common avian ancestor had a similar karyotype to e.g., the chicken/emu/zebra finch. The close karyotypic similarity to the soft-shelled turtle (<i>n</i> = 33) suggests that this basic pattern was mostly established before the Testudine–Archosaur divergence, ~255 MYA. That is, dinosaurs most likely had similar karyotypes and their extensive phenotypic variation may have been mediated by increased random chromosome segregation and genetic recombination, which is inherently higher in karyotypes with more and smaller chromosomes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:09:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-34b3b737cafa4b97b9650fd5b6e0acf0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:09:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-34b3b737cafa4b97b9650fd5b6e0acf02023-11-16T14:48:12ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-12-0113110610.3390/ani13010106Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian DescendantsDarren K. Griffin0Denis M. Larkin1Rebecca E. O’Connor2Michael N. Romanov3School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UKDepartment of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UKSchool of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, UKReptiles known as dinosaurs pervade scientific and popular culture, while interest in their genomics has increased since the 1990s. Birds (part of the crown group Reptilia) are living theropod dinosaurs. Chromosome-level genome assemblies cannot be made from long-extinct biological material, but dinosaur genome organization can be inferred through comparative genomics of related extant species. Most reptiles apart from crocodilians have both macro- and microchromosomes; comparative genomics involving molecular cytogenetics and bioinformatics has established chromosomal relationships between many species. The capacity of dinosaurs to survive multiple extinction events is now well established, and birds now have more species in comparison with any other terrestrial vertebrate. This may be due, in part, to their karyotypic features, including a distinctive karyotype of around <i>n</i> = 40 (~10 macro and 30 microchromosomes). Similarity in genome organization in distantly related species suggests that the common avian ancestor had a similar karyotype to e.g., the chicken/emu/zebra finch. The close karyotypic similarity to the soft-shelled turtle (<i>n</i> = 33) suggests that this basic pattern was mostly established before the Testudine–Archosaur divergence, ~255 MYA. That is, dinosaurs most likely had similar karyotypes and their extensive phenotypic variation may have been mediated by increased random chromosome segregation and genetic recombination, which is inherently higher in karyotypes with more and smaller chromosomes.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/106dinosaursbirdsreptileschromosomekaryotypecytogenomics |
| spellingShingle | Darren K. Griffin Denis M. Larkin Rebecca E. O’Connor Michael N. Romanov Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants Animals dinosaurs birds reptiles chromosome karyotype cytogenomics |
| title | Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants |
| title_full | Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants |
| title_fullStr | Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants |
| title_short | Dinosaurs: Comparative Cytogenomics of Their Reptile Cousins and Avian Descendants |
| title_sort | dinosaurs comparative cytogenomics of their reptile cousins and avian descendants |
| topic | dinosaurs birds reptiles chromosome karyotype cytogenomics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/1/106 |
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