Publications

Preprints (BioRxiv)

A long-read human pangenome initiative for comprehensive interpretation of nuclear-embedded mitochondrial DNA

Lianting Fu, Jieyi Chen, Da Lian, Siyuan Du, Dongya Wu, Chentao Yang, Ziyi Wang, Hongyi Ma, Zhengtong Li, Nicole J. Lake, APG Consortium, Xiangyu Yang, Yongyong Shi, Guojie Zhang, Kaiyue Ma, Yafei Mao.

bioRxiv 2026

Joint segmental duplication co-option drives human-specific transcriptional readthrough and expression fine-tuning of NPEPPS-TBC1D3

Kaiyue Ma, Zikun Yang, Zhengtong Li, Jingyi Guo, Da Lian, Ziyi Wang, Hongyi Ma, Shilong Zhang, Lianting Fu, Hezheng Lyu, Xinrui Jiang, Qiujin Xie, Guanting Li, Chenhao Yang, Jieyi Chen, Juan Zhang, Peng Liu, Xiangyu Yang, Zhen-Ge Luo, Guojie Zhang, Yafei Mao.

bioRxiv 2026

Complex subtelomeric architectures in a complete rhesus macaque reference genome

Zhang, S., Xu, N., Lu, Y., Nie, Y., Li, Z., Gennaro, L. d., ... Sun, Q. & Mao, Y.

bioRxiv 2026

VAMPIRE: Analyzing variation and motif pattern in tandem repeats

Zikun Yang, Shilong Zhang, Glennis A. Logsdon, Yafei Mao.

bioRxiv 2025

A complete and near-perfect rhesus macaque reference genome: lessons from subtelomeric repeats and sequencing bias

Shilong Zhang, Ning Xu, Yong Lu, Yanhong Nie, Zhengtong Li, Luciana de Gennaro, Lianting Fu, Zhendong Zhang, Jieyi Chen, Kaiyue Ma, Xiangyu Yang, Juan Zhang, Matthew T. Schmitz, Francesca Antonacci, Trygve E. Bakken, Mario Ventura, Adam M. Phillippy, Qiang Sun, Yafei Mao.

bioRxiv 2025

Tibetan near-complete pangenome reveals complex variants underlying high-altitude adaptation

Yaoxi He, Kai Liu, Leyan Mao, Feifei Zhou, Jiaxu Song, Xuebin Qi, Dongya Wu, Junmin Han, Lianting Fu, Jiangguo Li, Yu Zhang, Chaoying Cui, Ouzhuluobu, Guojie Zhang, Yafei Mao, Bing Su

bioRxiv 2025

2025

A refined analysis of neanderthal-introgressed sequences in modern humans with a complete reference genome

Liang, S. A., Ren, T., Zhang, J., He, J., Wang, X., Jiang, X., ... Mao, Y.*. & Chen, L.*

Genome Biology

Integrated analysis of the complete sequence of a macaque genome

Zhang, S., Xu, N., Fu, L., Yang, X., Li, Y., Yang, Z., Li, Z., Feng. Y., Jiang, X., Han, J., Hu, R., Zhang, L., Lian, D., … Sun, Q.*, & Mao, Y.*

Nature

Incomplete lineage sorting of segmental duplications defines the human chromosome 2 fusion site early during African great ape speciation

Yang, Z., Zhang, L., Jiang, X., Yang, X., Ma, K., Yoo, D., ... Sun, Q.*, Eichler, E. E.* & Mao, Y.*

Cell Genomics

Complete sequencing of ape genomes

Yoo, D., Rhie, A., Hebbar, P., Antonacci, F., Logsdon, G. A., Solar, S. J., … Mao, Y., ... Makova, K. D.*, Phillippy, A. M.* & Eichler, E. E.*

Nature

2024

The variation and evolution of complete human centromeres

Logsdon, G.A., Rozanski, A.N., Ryabov, F., … Mao, Y., ... & Eichler, E. E.*

Nature

Comparative transcriptome in rhesus macaques and crab-eating macaques

Mao, Y., Li, Y., Yang, Z., Xu, N., Zhang, S., Wang, X., Yang, X., Sun, Q.* & Mao, Y.*

Zoological Research

Structurally divergent and recurrently mutated regions of primate genomes

Mao, Y.*, Harvey, W. T., Porubsky, D., Munson, K. M., Hoekzema, K., Lewis, A. P., Audano, P. A., Rozanski, A., Yang, X., Zhang, S., ... & Eichler, E. E.*

Cell

Advancing evolutionary medicine with complete primate genomes and advanced biotechnologies

Ma, K., Yang, X., Mao, Y.*

Trends in Genetics

2023

The complete and fully-phased diploid genome of a male Han Chinese

Yang, C., Zhou, Y., Song, Y., ... Zhang, S., ... Mao, Y., ... & Zhang, G.*

Cell Research

The pig pangenome provides insights into the roles of coding structural variations in genetic diversity and adaptation

Li, Z.*, Liu, X., Wang, C., ... Mao, Y., ... & Chen, Y.*

Genome Research

Population genetics of marmosets in Asian primate research centers and loci associated with epileptic risk revealed by whole-genome sequencing.

Yang, X., Mao, Y., Wang, X., … Li, Z.*, Takahashi, E.* & Li, W.*

Zoological Research

TAD Evolutionary and functional characterization reveals diversity in mammalian TAD boundary properties and function

Okhovat, M.*, VanCampen, J., Nevonen, K. A., ... Mao, Y., ... & Carbone, L.*

Nature Communications

Exploring the primate genome: Unraveling the mysteries of evolution and human disease

He, Y.*, & Mao, Y.*

The Innovation

Characterization of large-scale genomic differences in the first complete human genome

Yang, X., Wang, X., Zou, Y., Zhang, S., Xia, M., Fu, L., ... Meng, D., ... & Mao, Y.*

Genome Biology

2022

A complete, telomere-to-telomere human genome sequence presents new opportunities for evolutionary genomics

Mao, Y.*, & Zhang, G.

Nature Methods

2021

The structure, function and evolution of a complete human chromosome 8

Logsdon, G.A., Vollger, M.R., Hsieh, P., Mao, Y., ... & Eichler, E.E.

Nature

Evidence for opposing selective forces operating on human-specific duplicated TCAF genes in Neanderthals and humans

Hsieh, P., Dang, V., Vollger, M.R., Mao, Y., ... & Eichler, E.E.

Nature Communications

A high-quality bonobo genome refines the analysis of hominid evolution.

Yafei Mao., Catacchio, C.R., Hillier, L.W., Porubsky, D., Li, R., Sulovari, A., ... & Eichler, E.E.*

Nature

2020

TREEasy: an automated workflow to infer gene trees, species trees, and phylogenetic networks from multilocus data

Mao, Y.*, Hou, S., Shi, J., & Economo, E.P.

Molecular Ecology Resources

2019

A likely ancient genome duplication in the speciose reef-building coral genus, Acropora

Mao, Y.* & Satoh, N.

iScience

2018

The roles of introgression and climate change in the rise to dominance of Acropora corals

Mao, Y.*, Economo, E.P., & Satoh, N.

Current Biology