›› 2009, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (8): 901-906.

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Insect genomes and their sizes

XUE Jian, CHENG JA, ZHANG CX   

  • Online:2009-09-04 Published:2009-08-20

Abstract: The difference of genome size between different insects is due to varieties of duplication of the genome sequence in the amplification, deletion and differentiation. Fifty-nine insect species have been included in genome sequencing projects, whole-genome sequences of six insect species, i.e., Drosophila melanogaster, Anopheles gambiae, Bombyx mori, Apis mellifera, Aedes aegypti and Tribolium castaneum, have been reported. The sizes of 725 insect genomes have been estimated, ranging from 0.09-16.93 pg (88-16 558 Mb). The estimation methods for insect genome size are introduced, and the variation of insect genome sizes and its significance are also discussed.

Key words: Insect, genome size, genome sequencing project, determination methods, genome variation