Whole genome Sequences from an Equus Parent-offspring Trio

The horse (Equus caballus) and the donkey (Equus asinus) have diverged quite recently approximately 4.0-4.5 million years ago. The accumulation of mutational differences between horses and donkeys reduce the fitness of their hybrid offspring, such as infertility. The molecular mechanism by which mules reconcile two sets of perfectly functional and well-characterized parental genetic programs and the genetic basis on which some offspring still survive their genomic abnormalities remain mysterious.