Syntenic Dimensions of Genomic Evolution

We compare several types of evolutionary divergence of synteny blocks: sequence level divergence of the genes in the block, loss of genes affecting the length and structure of the blocks and spatial position of the block in relation to the chromosomal centromere, and suggest other dimensions, such as the predominant functional characteristic of the genes in the block. We focus on the evolutionary history of the allotetraploid Coffea arabica genome and its two progenitor genomes through three major genomic events spanning 120 million years.