Pepper centromeres sit within ultra

Pepper centromeres are embedded in ultra-long, recombination-suppressed haplotypes that can span more than 100 Mb. These centromere-spanning haplotypes (cenhaps) link genetic and epigenetic variation, are associated with various fruit traits and can show biased chromosome transmission in intercrosses.
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References
Wlodzimierz, P. et al. Cycles of satellite and transposon evolution in Arabidopsis centromeres. Nature 618, 557–565 (2023). This study revealed dynamic cycles of satellite and transposon turnover in complete Arabidopsis centromeres.
Logsdon, G. A. et al. The variation and evolution of complete human centromeres. Nature 629, 136–145 (2024). This study generated complete human centromere assemblies and revealed extensive sequence, structural and epigenetic variation among human centromeres.
Guo, Y. et al. A haplotype-based evolutionary history of barley domestication. Nature 647, 680–688 (2025). This study used haplotype-based analyses to reconstruct barley domestication and showed how large haplotypes preserve breeding-relevant variation.
Schneider, K. L., Xie, Z., Wolfgruber, T. K. & Presting, G. G. Inbreeding drives maize centromere evolution. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 113, E987–E996 (2016). This study showed that inbreeding and selection can influence centromere evolution in a domesticated crop.
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This is a summary of: Hu, M. et al. Evolution and domestication-trait associations of ultra-long centromere haplotypes in pepper plants. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03143-w (2026).
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Pepper centromeres sit within ultra-long, trait-linked haplotypes. Nat Ecol Evol (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03146-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03146-7

Pepper centromeres are embedded in ultra-long, recombination-suppressed haplotypes spanning more than 100 Mb. These centromere-spanning haplotypes link genetic and epigenetic variation. They are associated with various fruit traits. They can show biased chromosome transmission in intercrosses. A study revealed dynamic cycles of satellite and transposon turnover in complete Arabidopsis centromeres. Studies generated complete human centromere assemblies, revealing extensive sequence, structural, and epigenetic variation among human centromeres. Haplotype-based analyses reconstructed the evolutionary history of barley domestication by showing how large haplotypes preserve breeding-relevant variation.

Pepper centromeres are embedded in ultra-long haplotypes that can span over 100 Mb, which link genetic and epigenetic variation. These centromere-spanning haplotypes (cenhaps) are associated with various fruit traits and can exhibit biased chromosome transmission during intercrosses. Research on human centromeres has revealed extensive sequence, structural, and epigenetic variation among them. Studies in Arabidopsis showed dynamic cycles of satellite and transposon turnover within complete centromeres. Furthermore, haplotype-based analyses have been used to reconstruct evolutionary histories, such as barley domestication, demonstrating that large haplotypes preserve breeding-relevant variation.

The existence of ultra-long centromere haplotypes that link complex genetic and epigenetic variation into trait-linked units suggests that genome evolution is not solely dictated by gene sequences but is profoundly influenced by the organization and dynamics of surrounding non-coding regions, such as satellite DNA and transposons. The implication for evolutionary processes is that large haplotype structures act as integrated units, carrying a higher density of adaptive or environmentally relevant information that is transmitted across generations, potentially explaining phenotypic correlations observed in traits like fruit characteristics. The connection between centromere evolution cycles (satellite/transposon turnover) and the preservation of variation through large haplotypes suggests an underlying principle where genomic architecture dictates evolutionary potential. Further inquiry must focus on quantifying the functional contribution of these centromeric regions to trait variation and testing whether haplotype inheritance biases chromosome transmission in ways that are predictive of observed trait distribution across different taxa.

Pepper centromeres sit within ultra

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Pepper centromeres sit within ultra

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Executive Summary

Full Take