Synteny is when two or more genes are found on the same chromosome shared by different species. It helps discover the genetic histories and relatedness of species to each other. The word comes from Greek words meaning “together with” and “band”. It is believed to be caused by evolution and adaptation. Some scientists argue that it is not necessarily proof of a single ancestor.
The science of genetics, which studies singular genes in themselves and how they affect the body, defines synteny as an event in which two or more genes are found on the same chromosome shared by different species. The science of genomics, which contextualizes all genes and their interrelationships to each other, further specifies the concept as shared genes having a specific order. For example, if species A has genes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, while species B has genes 1, 2, 5, 3 and 4, both species are said to have “synthetic genes” since genes 1 and 2 are arranged in the same order. The main point of the concept of synteny is the discovery of the genetic histories and relatedness of species to each other.
The etymology of the word “synteny” can be traced from two Greek words: “syn”, which means “together with”, and “tainia”, which means “band”. When combined, the words translate as “on the same tape.” One of the first studies on gene syntheny was the observation of bacteria with multiple chromosomes, such as the “rhodobacter sphaeroides” and “burkholderia cepacia” strains, in which some chromosomes contained the same genes. Studies of synthetic genes expanded when the genome sequence of the fruit fly species “Drosophila melanogaster” was fully decoded in 2000. Shortly thereafter, the genome sequences of 11 other fruit fly species were decoded, allowing both geneticists and genomists to carry out comparative analyzes of fly genomes.
Many scientists point to the theory of evolution as the cause of synteny. The premise is that in the beginning the genome of a particular species is organized in a certain way, but as successive generations and different species are produced over thousands or millions of years, the genome sequence becomes somewhat confusing. These small divergences are said to occur very slowly, with an interval of about 200,000 years between each occurrence
For evolutionary theorists, syntheny could be an implication of a single common ancestry, given that many animals share a large percentage of similar synthenic sequences. Indeed, several studies have shown that approximately 90% of the human and mouse genomes are similarly organized. Other scientists, however, argue that synteny is not necessarily proof of the theory of evolution and a single ancestor, but merely illustrates that species go through processes of adaptation, rather than evolution. The concept also shows that all living things, including flora, are created with “intelligent design” using similar materials that are assembled differently.
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