Genome architecture - number, size and length distributions of exons and introns in six crown eukaryotic genomes

The genome profile of exon-intron distributions is presented for six eukaryotic genomes (H. sapiens, P. troglodytes, M. musculus, D. rerio, C. elegans, D. melanogaster) to deduce similarities and differences among their genome design and architecture. Interestingly, in all the six genomes, the total length in exons, introns and intergenic DNA on each chromosome is significantly correlated to the chromosome size. Another correlation is found between the total intron length and total exon length for each genome. The results presented provide a framework for understanding the nature and patterns of exon-intron length distributions, the constraints on them and their role in genome design and evolution and provide an insight into the evolution of intron-exon structures of eukaryotic genes.