Completion of genome sequences for many organisms allows a reasonably complete
definition of the complement of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. In mammals this “core …

Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are widely distributed in the animal kingdom
and the human genome contains four paralogous genes encoding TIMPs 1 to 4. TIMPs were …

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) was formed~ 7500 years ago by hybridization between B.
rapa and B. oleracea, followed by chromosome doubling, a process known as …

Animal genomes show networks of deeply conserved gene linkages whose phylogenetic
scope and chromosomal context remain unclear. Here, we report chromosome-scale …

The recent increase in genomic data is revealing an unexpected perspective of gene loss as
a pervasive source of genetic variation that can cause adaptive phenotypic diversity. This …

Diverse bilaterian clades emerged apparently within a few million years during the early
Cambrian, and various environmental, developmental, and ecological causes have been …

Although it is widely believed that early vertebrate evolution was shaped by ancient whole-
genome duplications, the number, timing and mechanism of these events remain elusive …

The symbiosis between cnidarians (eg, corals or sea anemones) and intracellular
dinoflagellate algae of the genus Symbiodinium is of immense ecological importance. In …

Abstract Lancelets ('amphioxus') are the modern survivors of an ancient chordate lineage,
with a fossil record dating back to the Cambrian period. Here we describe the structure and …

Summary Cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) is an enzyme in human cells that controls an
immune response to cytosolic DNA. Upon binding DNA, cGAS synthesizes a nucleotide …