Genes in the C. elegans genome

(based on the 1998 Science paper)

Protein-coding Genes | RNA Genes

gene type	numbers	comment
protein-coding genes	19,099
protein-coding genes with a significant peptide similarity to non-nematode proteins	42%	60% of these have EST matches
protein-coding genes with a significant peptide similarity nematode proteins	34%	20% of these have EST matches
protein-coding genes with no significant peptide similarity any proteins	24%

gene type	number	comment
RNA-coding genes *
tRNAs	877	44% of these are on the X chromosome, which is only 20% of the total sequence
[tRNA pseudogenes]	198
snRNAs	72
U1	14
U2	21
U4	5
U5	12
U6	20	17 of these are 100% identical
srpRNAs	5
SSU, 5.8S and LSU rRNA tandem repeat	60 copies	chromosome I
5S rRNA - SL1 RNA tandem repeat	>100 copies	chromosome V
SL2 RNA genes	~20	distributed

* Note that there are many new RNA genes, particularly the noncoding microRNAs involved in RNA silencing.