Strong GC and AT Skew Correlation in Chicken Genome

摘要

Chicken genome AT and GC skews for individual chromosomes were visualized simultaneously using a novel method of 2-dimensional color-coded pixel matrix. The visualizations were compared to those of human, mouse and possum genomes. A strikingly strong correlation of AT skew and GC from small to large scale in chicken genome was found, compared to the other vertebrates. Some local skew correlations were also found for the other vertebrates, but only in small genomic scale. Quantitative measures of correlation were developed, and confirmed the special characteristic of chicken chromosomes. Possible explanations for uniqueness of birds in this respect are discussed. The phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary pressures responsible for this previously unreported skew correlation warrant further study.