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Published on: February 10, 2023
Rapid concerted evolution in animal mitochondrial DNA
Andrey Tatarenkov1, John C Avise
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA. tatarenk@uci.edu
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 11, 2007
Summary
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in killifish shows rapid evolution through gene conversion, challenging the idea that recombination is rare in animal mtDNA. This suggests gene conversion significantly impacts mtDNA dynamics in populations.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Genetics
- Animal Mitochondrial DNA
Background:
- Recombinational genetic processes are considered infrequent in the uniparentally inherited mitochondrial (mt) DNA of animals.
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays a crucial role in cellular energy production and is maternally inherited in many species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the occurrence and impact of microevolutionary processes in animal mitochondrial DNA.
- To examine the role of gene conversion in the evolution of duplicated sequences within mtDNA control regions.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of duplicated sequences in the mtDNA control region of mangrove killifishes (Kryptolebias marmoratus).
- Comparison of genetic distances between paralogous loci within individuals and orthologous loci between specimens.
Main Results:
- Observed extremely rapid concerted microevolution of duplicated mtDNA sequences in killifish populations.
- Found smaller genetic distances between paralogous loci within individuals than between orthologous loci of different specimens.
- Evidence suggests frequent gene conversion events are mediating this rapid evolution.
Conclusions:
- Concerted evolution should be recognized as a significant microevolutionary process in animal mtDNA.
- Gene conversion is identified as a likely recombinational force driving mtDNA dynamics.
- These findings highlight the underestimated influence of molecular recombination on mtDNA evolution within populations and germlines.
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