Telotrons: spliceosomal introns composed of telomeric repeats

Telotrons—spliceosomal introns dominated by telomeric repeats—were found in 25 eukaryotic genomes, totaling 7,008 introns with >85% telomeric repeat coverage.

• Why it matters: Intron counts vary widely, yet only transposable introner elements have been established to explain large intron gains; telotrons test whether telomerase can drive endogenous intron innovation.
• What they did: A survey of 10,310 eukaryotic genome assemblies identified 7,008 introns with >85% telomeric repeat coverage and 44,423 with >50% to [≤]85% coverage, with RNA-seq supporting splicing.
• The result: Telotron repeat orientations and ortholog comparisons indicate widespread de novo gain in multiple lineages, while in Eimeria and Mesorhabditis they suggest remodeling of existing introns.

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