Evidence of a Large-Scale Functional Organization of Mammalian Chromosomes

        Evidence from inbred strains of mice indicates that a quarter or more of the mammalian genome consists of chromosome regions containing clusters of functionally related genes. The intense selection pressures during inbreeding favor the coinheritance of optimal sets of alleles among these genetically linked, functionally related genes, resulting in extensive domains of linkage disequilibrium (LD) among a set of 60 genetically diverse inbred strains. Recombination that disrupts the preferred combinations of alleles reduces the ability of offspring to survive further inbreeding. LD is also seen between markers on separate chromosomes, forming networks with scale-free architecture.  Combining LD data with pathway and genome annotation databases, we have been able to identify the biological functions underlying several domains and networks. Given the strong conservation of gene order among mammals, the domains and networks we find in mice probably characterize all mammals, including humans.

    这篇文章利用分布在60个小鼠亚种的SNP信息分析了基因组上临近基因的共遗传的特征。以为共遗传的基因在功能上有着某种联系，这就让人联想到基因在基因组上的分布应该不是随机的。除了转录因子参与的转录调控以外，生物体在某种更高的层次上对转录有着宏观的调控机制。

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