Cheryl D. Prokopowich, T. Ryan Gregory, and Teresa J. Crease
Genome 46: 48-50.
Abstract
Both rDNA gene multiplicity and genome size vary
widely
among eukaryotes. For some time, there has been debate regarding
any
possible relationship between these two parameters. The present
study
makes use of a large compiled dataset to test the association between
genome
size and rDNA copy number, and provides the first convincing evidence
of
a strong positive relationship between the two within and among animals
and
plants. No simple explanations exist for this relationship, but
it
is nevertheless of clear relevance from both practical and theoretical
perspectives.