Beyond Mendel and Morgan to the dynamic genome

The conceptional shifts on genome organization and hereditary variability occurred during transition from classical mendelian to current mobile or dynamic genetics. The main changed premises of this transition are firstly presented in detail. Mendelian genetics mainly conceived genome as the set of chromosomes with of all genes. Now genome semantics is changed. It comprises entire hereditary constitution of the cell, including both structural and dynamic aspects of coding, storage and transfer of species-specific information. There are three kinds of heritable changes: mutations, variations and epigenetic alterations. It is reasonable to discriminate in the genome two subsystems: Obligate genetic elements (OGE) and Facultative genetic elements (FGE). FGEs comprise various kinds of repeated DNA, mobile elements, amplicons, inserted viral and foreign DNA, B-chromosomes and cytobionts. FGEs are predominant genome content of many plants. The number and cell topography of FGEs are different in different cells/tissues and most eukaryote individuals. Changes in the structure or order of OGEs correspond to classical mutations. Various changes in FGEs it is reasonable to call variations. Facultative elements and their variations are the first genomic reaction on biotic and environmental challenges. Together with epigenetic alterations they implement the operational genomic memory. Three template genome processes Replication, Transcription, Translation and three basic genetic processes – Repair, Recombination and Segregation are capable to facultative expression according to principle: the unity of the whole and freedom of the parts. This is the essence of the presented generalized concept of the genome organization and hereditary variations.