1875-0362/10 2010 Bentham Open Open Access Statistics of Exon Lengths in Fungi

Abstract: The exon-intron structures of fungi genes are quite different from each other, and the evolution of such struc-tures raises many questions. We tried to address some of these questions with an accent on methods of revealing evolu-tionary factors based on the analysis of gene exon-intron structures using statistical analysis. Taking whole genomes of fungi, we went through all the protein-coding genes in each chromosome separately and calculated the portion of intron-containing genes and average values of the net length of all the exons in a gene, the number of the exons, and the average length of an exon. We found striking similarities between all of these average properties of chromosomes of the same spe-cies and significant differences between properties of the chromosomes belonging to species of different divisions (Phyla) of the kingdom of Fungi. Comparing those chromosomal and genomic averages, we have developed a technique of clus-tering based on characteristics of the exon-intron structure. This technique of clustering separates different fungi species, grouping them according to Fungi taxonomy. The main conclusion of this article is that the statistical properties of exon-intron organizations of genes are the genome-specific features preserved by evolutionary processes