{"title":"The structure and regulatory biology of the SST1/NBL2 macrosatellite family.","authors":"Gabrijela Dumbović, Sonia V Forcales","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Primate-specific SST1/NBL2 macrosatellites are emerging as key components of human acrocentric chromosome biology. Here, we integrate historical mapping, telomere-to-telomere assemblies, and regulatory evidence to show that SST1/NBL2 variation and transcription influence genome instability, chromatin dynamics, and the emerging roles of repeat-derived RNAs in human cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147789400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multiscale evolution of the 3D genome.","authors":"Yizhuo Che, Stephen J Bush, Kai Ye","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.04.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.04.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The spatial organization of the genome underpins how and when its encoded information is utilized. Nevertheless, a unified understanding of how genome architecture evolves across different life scales is still emerging. This review synthesizes current research on 3D genome evolution from both micro- and macro-perspectives. At cellular-level timescales exemplified by cancer, architectures can evolve rapidly due to frequent genomic mutations and plastic epigenetic marks. Between closely related species, architectural divergence is driven primarily by local genomic alterations, mainly cis-regulatory elements. Across larger phylogenetic distances, genome architectures display striking diversity, yet recurrent higher-order features have nevertheless emerged through convergent evolution, reflecting common functional requirements. The micro-to-macro comparative framework proposed here delineates how the diversity of genome architectures relates to the evolution of form and function.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147789261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Silencing the noise with gene body methylation.","authors":"Mika Nieuwenhuyzen, James P B Lloyd","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.04.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.04.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Gene body methylation (gbM) is a conserved plant epigenetic mark previously correlated with stable gene expression. Zastąpiło et al. now demonstrate that gbM actively suppresses interindividual transcriptional noise. Using mutants and epigenetic recombinant inbred lines, they establish a causal link between gbM and expression stability.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147789311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"BRCA2, a conserved Rad51 mediator lost in ascomycetes.","authors":"Hideo Tsubouchi, Hiroshi Iwasaki","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BRCA2 is a central mediator of Rad51-dependent homologous recombination in humans. Its apparent absence from model yeasts long suggested that BRCA2 was restricted to higher eukaryotes. However, the identification of BRCA2 homologs across diverse fungal phyla reveals evolutionarily conserved BRCA2 function, with Ascomycota representing a notable exception.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147789326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Heterogeneity in microbial antibiotic responses: genetic basis and within-host evolution.","authors":"Qingyun Liu, Liang-Dong Lyu","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.008","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antibiotic response phenotypes have traditionally been classified as either sensitive or resistant. However, accumulating evidence indicates that bacterial responses to antibiotics are far more heterogeneous than previously appreciated. A growing set of new descriptors-including antibiotic persistence, tolerance, heteroresistance, resilience, and perseverance-has been introduced to capture noncanonical antibiotic phenotypes, which are widespread in bacteria and recognized as a cause of treatment failure. Although defined by different criteria, these phenotypes all converge on the heterogeneous nature of bacterial antibiotic responses. In this review, we focus on the heterogeneity-causing mechanisms embedded in genome maintenance, transcription, and translation; discuss how within-host evolved mutations can modulate regulatory stochasticity and shift population dynamics in ways that favor bacterial propagation; and highlight key future directions.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13094712/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147718992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rebecca C Simpson, Harry B Cutler, David E James, Stewart W C Masson
{"title":"The gut microbiome as an effector of metabolic disease gene variants.","authors":"Rebecca C Simpson, Harry B Cutler, David E James, Stewart W C Masson","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Here, we discuss emerging studies that have identified overlap in the genetic drivers of the gut microbiome and metabolic disease, and we evaluate the possibility that some genes affecting host metabolic function do so by first manipulating the microbiome.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"At the fork: where epigenetic decisions are made.","authors":"Songtao Jia","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epigenetic inheritance ensures the transmission of chromatin states through cell division, despite the dilution of parental histones during DNA replication. Recent studies reveal that inheritance is not a passive process but instead involves regulated, replication-coupled decisions coordinated by the replisome, histone chaperones, and histone modification feedback loops. In this review, I synthesize recent advances in histone recycling and chromatin inheritance, highlighting how regulated parental histone segregation underpins robust epigenetic memory. I propose a conceptual framework that positions the replication fork as an epigenetic decision-making hub and highlight key unresolved questions that will shape future studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147693510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Complex genotype-phenotype relationships in neurodevelopmental disorders.","authors":"Elad Dvir, Eran Meshorer, Sagiv Shifman","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the advent of sequencing technologies in recent years, hundreds of high-confidence risk genes have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). However, individuals carrying pathogenic variants in the same gene frequently exhibit diverse clinical presentations, including varied symptoms and diagnoses. We propose that this heterogeneity arises from different interacting factors that modulate the phenotypic outcomes of pathogenic variants, including variant-level features, modifying variation across the genome, prenatal and early-life environmental exposures, and developmental noise. Resolving these factors requires integrative approaches that combine population-scale genetics and functional genomics with environmental monitoring and quantitative assessments of stochastic developmental variation. Advancing our understanding of these factors is critical to elucidating the etiology of NDDs and improving diagnostic and personalized therapeutic strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147693513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shiu Lun Au Yeung, Gabriel Chun Yin Sung, Ronald Ching Wan Ma
{"title":"Multiancestry, tissue-specific genetics inform type 2 diabetes etiology.","authors":"Shiu Lun Au Yeung, Gabriel Chun Yin Sung, Ronald Ching Wan Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent work by Bocher et al. used Mendelian randomization to identify hundreds of gene expressions and multiple proteins that likely play a causal role in type 2 diabetes. The study emphasized the importance of ancestry and tissue-specific analyses in elucidating intervention targets.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147693462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A new era for the dark genome.","authors":"Merel Stemerdink, Dalila Capasso, Munevver Burcu Cicekdal","doi":"10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tig.2026.03.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A landmark study by Quinodoz et al. revealed that variants in noncoding small nuclear RNA genes, RNU4-2 and four RNU6 paralogs, represent a previously unrecognized cause of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. This uncovers pleiotropy in RNU4-2 variants and expands the genetic architecture of Mendelian disease into the 'dark genome'.</p>","PeriodicalId":54413,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147677289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}