This review discusses evolution of the process of Ig heavy chain class switching, relating it to
the first appearance of somatic hypermutation (SHM) of variable region genes. First, we …

Hundreds of highly conserved distal cis-regulatory elements have been characterized so far
in vertebrate genomes. Many thousands more are predicted on the basis of comparative …

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) form an abundant class of non‐coding RNA genes that have an
important function in post‐transcriptional gene regulation and in particular modulate the …

The living coelacanth is a lobe-finned fish that represents an early evolutionary departure
from the lineage that led to land vertebrates, and is of extreme interest scientifically. It has …

The bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) system is useful for creating a representation of
the genomes of target species. The system is advantageous in that it can accommodate …

The coelacanth is one of the nearest living relatives of tetrapods. However, a teleost species
such as zebrafish or Fugu is typically used as the outgroup in current tetrapod comparative …

Background The mammalian neurohypophysial hormones, vasopressin and oxytocin are
involved in osmoregulation and uterine smooth muscle contraction respectively. All jawed …

The evolutionary origin of the conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) in the human genome
remains poorly understood but may hold important clues to their biological functions. Here …

The coelacanth is the basal‐most extant sarcopterygian that has teeth and tooth‐like
structures, comprising bone, dentin, and enamel or enameloid. Formation of these tissues …

Emerging data from the coelacanth genome are beginning to shed light on the origin and
evolution of tetrapod genes and noncoding elements. Of particular relevance is the …