The importance of taxon sampling in genomic studies: an example from the cyclooxygenases of teleost fishes.

Comparative genomic studies must often rely on single model species and exemplars to represent the genetic variation both within and among different major groups, because of technological, financial, and time constraints. This study of the cyclooxygenases from teleost fishes serves as a reminder that caution is required in these cases, since such incomplete taxon sampling can lead to errors in the interpretation and prediction of genome evolution, function, and structure.