Intron Loss and Gain

Abstract

Abstract Introns, the nonprotein coding regions of genes that are interspersed between protein‐coding exons are present in all eukaryotes' genomes. The variation in intron abundance in eukaryotic genomes signifies that intron loss and intron gain have occurred at varying degrees during the evolution of eukaryotes. Intron gain or loss events have been rare in human and other mammalian genomes, but intron loss in other eukaryotes is starting to be understood in terms of the biology of genomes.