Genome complexity in multicellular organisms is often associated with repetitive sequences from Transposable Elements (TEs). TE function, importance for genome integrity, and dispensability have not been completely characterized. In prokaryotes and simple eukaryotes, genome synthesis (production of synthetic chromosomes and genomes) has proven to be a useful tool to understand genome organisation and function. As […]
In plants with sexual reproduction, the male contribution (two sperm cells) is necessary to fertilize two female cells, the egg cell that gives rise to the embryo and the central cell that gives rise to the endosperm. In contrast, apomictic plants (0.1% of flowering plants spread over 120 genera) don´t need the male input, they […]
Centromeres are chromosome regions that consist of tandemly repeated “satellite arrays” and harbor CENH3 centromeric histones. Centromeres are present in every eukaryotic cell and are important for kinetochore assembly, so they ensure chromosome segregation during cell division. In spite of the importance of this structure, its evolution has remained obscure partly because of the challenge […]