Publication

A recent and rapid genome expansion driven by the amplification of transposable elements in the Neotropical annual killifish Garcialebias charrua

Felipe Gajardo-Escobar, Camilo Valdivieso, Alex Di Genova, Luisa Pereiro, Maria Jose Arezo, Gino Nardocci, Natalia Rojas, Veronica Gutierrez, Nicolas G. Papa, Nibia Berois, Alex Orellana, Rodrigo A. Gutierrez, Mauricio Gonzalez, Marco A. Mendez, Martin Montecino, Christian Hodar, Alvaro Glavic, Alejandro Maass, Graciela Garcia, Miguel L. Allende

January 2026 Biological Research
Abstract

Study summary

By comparing two annual killifish genomes, this study shows that Garcialebias charrua experienced a recent and unusually large genome expansion driven mainly by repetitive elements. The analysis links transposable element bursts with genome structure, gene context, and evolutionary adaptation in Neotropical annual fishes.