  Among all insect genomes, honeybee displays one of the most unusual patterns
with interspersed long AT and GC-rich segments. Nearly 75% of the
protein-coding genes are located in the AT-rich segments of the genome, but the
biological significance of the GC-rich regions is not well understood. Based on
an observation that the bee miRNAs, actins and tubulins are located in the
GC-rich segments, this work investigated whether other highly conserved genomic
regions show similar preferences. Sequences ultraconserved between the genomes
of honeybee and Nasonia, another hymenopteran insect, were determined. They
showed strong preferences towards locating in the GC-rich regions of the bee
genome.
