October 2005

All retroviruses utilize their envelope genes to mediate infection. However, a host gene, Iris, that is highly conserved in many Drosophila species has itself been derived from a retroviral envelope gene (see Malik et al.) highlighting an evolutionarily intriguing acquisition event. In Greek mythology, Iris was the benevolent sibling of the malevolent winged monsters, the Harpies.

Image Credit: Photograph reproduced with permission of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design (bequest of Susan Martin Allien). Cover design by Liana Holmberg.

Review

Perspectives on Human Genetic Variation from the HapMap Project

Gil McVean, Chris C. A Spencer, Raphaelle Chaix

PLOS Genetics: published October 28, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010054

Research Articles

Gain and Loss of Multiple Genes During the Evolution of Helicobacter pylori

Helga Gressmann, Bodo Linz, Rohit Ghai, Klaus-Peter Pleissner, Ralph Schlapbach, Yoshio Yamaoka, Christian Kraft, Sebastian Suerbaum, Thomas F Meyer, Mark Achtman

PLOS Genetics: published October 7, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010043

Positive Selection of Iris, a Retroviral Envelope–Derived Host Gene in Drosophila melanogaster

Harmit S Malik, Steven Henikoff

PLOS Genetics: published October 21, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010044

Evolutionary Comparison Provides Evidence for Pathogenicity of RMRP Mutations

Luisa Bonafé, Emmanouil T Dermitzakis, Sheila Unger, Cheryl R Greenberg, Belinda A Campos-Xavier, Andreas Zankl, Catherine Ucla, Stylianos E Antonarakis, Andrea Superti-Furga, Alexandre Reymond

PLOS Genetics: published October 21, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010047

Cytoskeletal Rearrangements in Synovial Fibroblasts as a Novel Pathophysiological Determinant of Modeled Rheumatoid Arthritis

Vassilis Aidinis, Piero Carninci, Maria Armaka, Walter Witke, Vaggelis Harokopos, Norman Pavelka, Dirk Koczan, Christos Argyropoulos, Maung-Maung Thwin, Steffen Möller, Waki Kazunori, Ponnampalam Gopalakrishnakone, Paola Ricciardi-Castagnoli, Hans-Jürgen Thiesen, Yoshihide Hayashizaki, George Kollias

PLOS Genetics: published October 28, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010048

The Axon Guidance Receptor Gene ROBO1 Is a Candidate Gene for Developmental Dyslexia

Katariina Hannula-Jouppi, Nina Kaminen-Ahola, Mikko Taipale, Ranja Eklund, Jaana Nopola-Hemmi, Helena Kääriäinen, Juha Kere

PLOS Genetics: published October 28, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010050

The Evolutionary Value of Recombination Is Constrained by Genome Modularity

Darren P Martin, Eric van der Walt, David Posada, Edward P Rybicki

PLOS Genetics: published October 21, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010051

Gli2 and Gli3 Localize to Cilia and Require the Intraflagellar Transport Protein Polaris for Processing and Function

Courtney J Haycraft, Boglarka Banizs, Yesim Aydin-Son, Qihong Zhang, Edward J Michaud, Bradley K Yoder

PLOS Genetics: published October 28, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010053

Gain-of-Function Screen for Genes That Affect Drosophila Muscle Pattern Formation

Nicole Staudt, Andreas Molitor, Kalman Somogyi, Juan Mata, Silvia Curado, Karsten Eulenberg, Martin Meise, Thomas Siegmund, Thomas Häder, Andres Hilfiker, Günter Brönner, Anne Ephrussi, Pernille Rørth, Stephen M Cohen, Sonja Fellert, Ho-Ryun Chung, Olaf Piepenburg, Ulrich Schäfer, Herbert Jäckle, Gerd Vorbrüggen

PLOS Genetics: published October 28, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010055

Discovery of Human Inversion Polymorphisms by Comparative Analysis of Human and Chimpanzee DNA Sequence Assemblies

Lars Feuk, Jeffrey R MacDonald, Terence Tang, Andrew R Carson, Martin Li, Girish Rao, Razi Khaja, Stephen W Scherer

PLOS Genetics: published October 28, 2005 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.0010056

Cover

Image depicting mythological Iris