Evolution of Short Genomic Regions: Discoveries, Methods, and Challenges

This call for articles and short reports is to enhance our understanding of the function and evolution of short genomic regions, which are being overlooked in many comparative genomic analyses. The challenges associated with identifying and characterizing these regions, as well as the subjective parameters used in existing methods, are critical aspects that warrant scientific investigations. By highlighting the challenges, opportunities, and discoveries in studying these regions, manuscripts suitable for this special topic will contribute to the development of more robust and standardized methodologies for their identification and analysis.

Additionally, exploring the conservation and evolutionary histories of these short genomic regions across the Tree of Life is important. Understanding their presence, structure, and composition in both model and non-model organisms is needed to learn about their functional significance and potential roles in different biological systems. This broader perspective can provide insights into the evolutionary constraints acting on these regions and help identify possible functional roles. Manuscripts presenting evolutionary bioinformatics approaches to gain such knowledge will illuminate this understudied subject.

By soliciting studies that delve into these topics, this special call for papers aims to foster interdisciplinary research and encourage the exchange of ideas and methodologies among researchers working on different organisms and applying various approaches. This will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the evolution and functional implications of short genomic regions across diverse taxa. Therefore, we welcome all types and lengths of studies generating or enabling valuable insights, addressing methodological challenges, and facilitating a deeper understanding of the evolutionary dynamics and functional roles of these often overlooked regions in the genome.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Low complexity regions, Repetitive regions, Epitopes, Intrinsically disordered regions, Functional genomics, Genomic evolution, Protein structure

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.