Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2026

An Integrated Approach for Microprotein Identification and Sequence Analysis
Published on: July 12, 2022
Highly conserved D-loop-like nuclear mitochondrial sequences (Numts) in tiger (Panthera tigris)
Wenping Zhang1, Zhihe Zhang, Fujun Shen
1Key Laboratory of Bio-resource and Eco-environment Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610064, People's Republic of China.
Nuclear mitochondrial sequences (Numts) in tigers and leopards offer insights into feline evolution. These conserved sequences act as molecular fossils, aiding in phylogenetic analysis and understanding mitochondrial genome evolution.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Evolutionary Biology
- Zoology
Background:
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is crucial for evolutionary studies.
- Hypervariable segments (HVS-1) of mtDNA are often used for species identification and phylogenetic analysis.
- Nuclear mitochondrial sequences (Numts) represent ancient gene transfer events from mitochondria to the nuclear genome.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of nuclear mitochondrial sequences (Numts) as molecular fossils for phylogenetic analysis in big cats.
- To analyze the evolutionary history and conservation patterns of Numts in tigers (Panthera tigris) and leopards (Panthera pardus).
Main Methods:
- Oligonucleotide primers targeting hypervariable segment I (HVS-1) of Panthera tigris mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were designed.
- Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify DNA fragments from tigers and leopards.
- Sequence analysis was performed on amplified PCR products to identify and characterize Numts.
Main Results:
- Two PCR products (500 bp and 287 bp) were amplified in tigers, while only one (287 bp) was amplified in leopards.
- Sequence analysis revealed the 287-bp product to be a D-loop-like nuclear mitochondrial sequence (Numts).
- Numts indicated nuclear transfer events approximately 4.8–17 million years ago in tigers and 4.6–16 million years ago in leopards.
- The 287-bp Numts were highly conserved across tiger subspecies and showed minimal divergence between tigers and leopards (1.742%).
Conclusions:
- Nuclear mitochondrial sequences (Numts) are highly conserved and function as molecular fossils, providing valuable insights into evolutionary history.
- Numts can serve as a reliable outgroup for phylogenetic analyses, complementing traditional mtDNA D-loop data.
- The findings support the use of Numts in reconstructing evolutionary relationships within the Panthera genus.
More Related Videos
16:02Demonstration of the Sequence Alignment to Predict Across Species Susceptibility Tool for Rapid Assessment of Protein Conservation
Published on: February 10, 2023
09:38Identification of Nucleolar Factors During HIV-1 Replication Through Rev Immunoprecipitation and Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 26, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Multi-species Conserved Sequences
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
Conserved Binding Sites
Binding sites are often located in large pockets, and if their location on a protein’s surface is unknown, it can be predicted using various approaches. The energetic method computationally analyses the...
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics
Conservation of Protein Domains
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...
Mitochondrial Precursor Proteins
Most of the mitochondrial precursors...
Conservation of Protein Domains Over Different Proteins
A limited set of protein domains often duplicate and recombine during evolution. These domains can be organized in different combinations to form...