My latest preprint exploring transposable element (TE) activity in the genomes of sparrows.
https://biorxiv.org/cgi/content/short/2023.10.26.564301v1
We found remarkably high levels of repeat content in the newly generated genomes of
Bell's, Song, and Savannah Sparrow. 31% of the Bell's sparrow genome is spanned by repetitive elements.
This is ~3x as much as previously reported in most songbirds.
Thanks to all my co-authors for their contributions to this project!
#Genomics
#TransposableElements
#ornithology
#sparrows
Remarkably high repeat content in the genomes of sparrows: the importance of genome assembly completeness for transposable element discovery.
Transposable elements (TE) play critical roles in shaping genome evolution. However, the highly repetitive sequence content of TEs is a major source of assembly gaps.bioRxiv