Repetitive DNA Sequences in Eukaryotic Genomes

Dear Colleagues,

A large fraction of every eukaryotic genome is composed of noncoding DNA sequences existing in many copies. These sequences were shown to have many important biological functions, for example in defining the entire genome landscape, building centromeres and telomeres, participating in genome rearrangements, modulating gene expression, and being essential in genome resilience and evolution. Regions enriched in repetitive sequences still challenge the understanding of genome structure, because of difficulties in sequence alignments and assemblies of such segments. Rapidly developing sequencing technologies, accessibility to datasets, and novel bioinformatics strategies opened a new era in the research of these mysterious genome components. Combining low-coverage short-read DNA sequencing and specialized bioinformatic tools yields complete repeatome and satellitome data, while technologies enabling long reads from a single molecule determine the precise sequential order of tandem repeats in long arrays. Cytogenetic experiments also add valuable results in studying repetitive DNA sequences on a chromosomal level. Additionally, phylogenetic approaches make possible tracing their evolutionary history in many organisms, as these sequences present astonishing preservation throughout long evolutionary periods. Novel approaches combined with the classical studies lead to better understanding of a genome/chromosome structure and evolution, and open possibilities for additional functional studies of the roles of repetitive sequences. This Special Issue is devoted to promoting the interest of scientific community in the research of this important segment of genome biology.

Prof. Dr. Miroslav Plohl
Dr. Eva Šatović
Prof. Dr. Raquel Chaves
Guest Editors

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