April 28, 2026 – Our colleague Dr Jelena Mlinarec co-authored a new study providing important insights into genome evolution in freshwater crayfish.
The article, titled “The extraordinary satellitome diversity of freshwater crayfish: a driver of genome evolution”, authored by Lena Bonassin and colleagues, was published in the scientific journal Mobile DNA (2026).
The study analysed repetitive DNA, with a particular focus on satellite DNA (satDNA), across 19 freshwater crayfish species representing four families. The results revealed an exceptionally high diversity of satellite DNA, with between 54 and 622 satDNA families per species, and a total repetitive DNA content ranging from 30% to 66% of the genome. The research identified clear family-specific patterns: some groups are characterised by a high proportion of satellite DNA, while others are dominated by transposable elements, reflecting different evolutionary mechanisms shaping genome structure. The study also identified conserved satellite DNA sequences shared across species, suggesting their important functional roles, particularly in chromosome organisation and genome stability.
This work highlights the dynamic nature of repetitive DNA and its key role in shaping genome organisation and evolutionary history in freshwater crayfish.
Read the full article here: LINK