The ongoing release of numerous genome sequences constitutes a scientific landmark that has transformed our way of thinking about the organization of living matter. The complete list of annotated genes that is finally at hand pushes us to a stage where we can now explore how genomes harmonize the regulation of gene expression with other processes that must concurrently take place along the genome. A major unresolved question pertaining to mammalian genomes is how their replication is precisely coordinated so that exactly one copy is made at each cell cycle. Despite extensive efforts aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the prevention of abnormal replication (i.e., over- or under-replication), the molecular determinants for selecting the starting points (termed “origins,” or ORIs) of replication remain poorly understood [1].
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