The repetitive DNA content of eukaryotic genomes

Abstract

Eukaryotic genomes are composed of both unique and repetitive DNA sequences. These latter form families of different classes that may be organized in tandem or may be dispersed within genomes with a moderate to high degree of repetitiveness. The repetitive DNA fraction may represent a high proportion of a particular genome due to correlation between genome size and abundance of repetitive sequences, which would explain the differences in genomic DNA contents of different species. In this review, we analyze repetitive DNA diversity and abundance as well as its impact on genome structure, function, and evolution.