image: Variable leaf shapes represent the extent of variation among individuals of Eurasian aspen. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Nathaniel Street.
To expand the breadth of genomic information about the Populus genus of trees, which serve as model organisms for species that outcross genetic materal with unrelated lineages and contain extensive variation among individuals, researchers report genome assemblies of Eurasian trembling aspen and North American quaking aspen; the findings suggest patterns of positive and negative selection pressure on the genomes of aspens, wherein genetic diversity is influenced by gene network connectivity, gene expression level, and gene regulation.
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Article #18-01437: "Functional and evolutionary genomic inferences in Populus through genome and population sequencing of American and European aspen," by Yao-Cheng Lin et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Nathaniel Street, University of Umeå, SWEDEN; tel: 090-786 54 73; e-mail: nathaniel.street@umu.se
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences