Postprint copy Annu. Rev. Anim. Biosci. 2018. 6:X--X https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-animal-030117-014821 Copyright © 2018 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved RAVI ■ VENKATESH DIVERGENT GENOMES OF TELEOSTS THE DIVERGENT GENOMES OF TELEOSTS Vydianathan Ravi and Byrappa Venkatesh Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore; email:
[email protected],
[email protected] ■ Abstract Boasting nearly 30,000 species, teleosts account for half of all living vertebrates and approximately 98% of all ray-finned fish species (Actinopterygii). Teleosts are also the largest and most diverse group of vertebrates, exhibiting an astonishing level of morphological, physiological, and behavioral diversity. Previous studies had indicated that the teleost lineage has experienced an additional whole-genome duplication event. Recent comparative genomic analyses of teleosts and other bony vertebrates using spotted gar (a nonteleost ray-finned fish) and elephant shark (a cartilaginous fish) as outgroups have revealed several divergent features of teleost genomes. These include an accelerated evolutionary rate of protein-coding and nucleotide sequences, a higher rate of intron turnover, and loss of many potential cis-regulatory elements and shorter conserved syntenic blocks. A combination of these divergent genomic features might have contributed to the evolution of the amazing phenotypic diversity and morphological innovations of teleosts. Keywords whole-genome duplication, evolutionary rate, intron turnover, conserved noncoding elements, conserved syntenic blocks, phenotypic diversity INTRODUCTION With over 68,000 known species (IUCN 2017; http://www.iucnredlist.org), vertebrates are the most dominant and successful group of animals on earth, inhabiting both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.