Cover image

In this issue, tandem repeats that regulate gene splicing are identified genomewide. The cover is a depiction of splicing regulation as the process by which the kimono, a traditional Japanese garment, is made from the tanmono, a traditional Japanese cloth. The tanmono represents the genome, the stitches represent tandem repeats, and the kimono represents mRNA. The kimono is assembled from pieces (exons) cut from the tanmono. Due to the different sizes of stitches, the pattern of the kimono varies depending on how the tanmono is cut. (Cover illustration by Yuki Takahashi, yuki.daruma80515{at}gmail.com. [For details, see Hamanaka et al., pp. 435–447.])