Fugu: a compact vertebrate reference genome

At 400 Mb, the Japanese pufferfish, Fugu rubripes, has the smallest vertebr ate genome but has a similar gene repertoire to other vertebrates. Its gene s are densely packed with short intergenic and intronic sequences devoid of repetitive elements. It likely has a mutational bias towards DNA eliminati on and is probably close to a 'minimal' vertebrate genome. As such it is a useful reference genome for gene discovery and gene validation in other ver tebrates. Its usefulness in the discovery of conserved regulatory elements has already been demonstrated. The Fugu genome sequence is a good complemen t to genetic studies in other vertebrates. (C) 2000 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B,V. All rights reserv ed.