Teleost fishes are the largest and most diverse group of vertebrates. The 
diversity of teleosts has been attributed to a whole-genome duplication (WGD) 
event in the ray-finned fish lineage. Recent comparative genomic studies have 
revealed that teleost genomes have experienced frequent gene-linkage disruptions 
compared to other vertebrates, and that protein-coding sequences in teleosts are 
evolving faster than in mammals, irrespective of their duplication status. A 
significant number of conserved noncoding elements (CNEs) shared between 
cartilaginous fishes and tetrapods have diverged beyond recognition in teleost 
fishes. The divergence of CNEs seems to have been initiated in basal ray-finned 
fishes before the WGD. The fast evolving singleton and duplicated genes as well 
as the divergent CNEs might have contributed to the diversity of teleost fishes.