There are two ways eukaryotes double number of chromosomes: (1) whole genome duplication (polyploidy), in which all nuclear DNA is replicated, and (2) karyotypic fission (pseudopolyploidy), in which all chromosomes are physically bifurcated. We contrast polyploidy with pseudopolyploidy, highlighting when it is crucial to look at genetic vs. genomic levels. We review history of pseudopolyploidy,...

Polyploidy is an important force shaping plant genomes. All flowering plants are descendants of an ancestral polyploid species, and up to 70% of extant vascular plant species are believed to be recent polyploids. Over the past century, a significant body of knowledge has accumulated regarding the prevalence and ecology of polyploid plants. In this review, we summarize our current understanding ...

Genome doubling, or polyploidy, is a major factor accounting for duplicate genes found in most eukaryotic genomes. Polyploidy has considerable effects on duplicate gene expression, including silencing and up- or downregulation of one of the duplicated genes. These changes can arise with the onset of polyploidization or within several generations after polyploid formation and they can have epige...

The dependence of cancer on overexpressed c-MYC and its predisposition for polyploidy represents a double puzzle. We address this conundrum by cross-species transcription analysis of c-MYC interacting genes in polyploid vs. diploid tissues and cells, including human vs. mouse heart, mouse vs. human liver and purified 4n vs. 2n mouse decidua cells. Gene-by-gene transcriptome comparison and princ...

Polyploidy, the possession of more than 2 complete genomes, is a major force in plant evolution known to affect the genetic and genomic constitution and the phenotype of an organism, which will have consequences for its ecology and geography as well as for lineage diversification and speciation. In this review, we discuss phylogenetic patterns in the incidence of polyploidy including possible u...

The Role of Polyploidy in the Evolution of Gender Dimorphism: An Experimental Approach Using Fragaria vesca Allison Kwok Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Dr. Brian C Husband The evolution of gender dimorphism is associated with the incidence of polyploidy in several plant taxa, but the underlying causes of this relationship are not well understood. Here I investigate the direct and indirect ...