Long-Range Correlations and the Isochore Structure of the Human Genome
The human genome evolved over millions of years towards its current form. Despite this long time its base composition did not reach a stationary state yet. Instead one observes long range correlated fluctuations of the Guanine-Cytosine (GC) content. This so called isochore structure of the genome is found in almost all warm-blooded vertebrates. The origin, timing, and functional implications of this structure are still controversial. We introduce a dynamical model, which could explain the emergence of long-range correlations along chromosomes through DNA sequence duplications. Based on this model we identify the evolutionary signatures of such duplications and discuss possible biological mechanisms.
Berlin
Speaker
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Peter Arndt
