Biomaterial Database

Organization and evolution of the mitochondrial DNA control region in the avian genus Alectoris. 1998

E Randi, and V Lucchini

Istituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, via Cà Fornacetta 9, 40064 Ozzano dell'Emilia (BO), Italy. MET0217@IPERBOLE.BOLOGNA.IT

The entire mitochondrial DNA control region (mtDNA D-loop) was sequenced in the seven extant species of Alectoris partridges. The D-loop length is very conserved (1155 +/- 2 nucleotides), and substitution rates are lower than for the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of the same species, on average. Comparative analyses suggest that these D-loops can be divided into three domains, corresponding to the highly variable peripheral domains I and III and to the central conserved domain II of vertebrates (Baker and Marshall 1997). Nevertheless, the first 161 nucleotides of domain I of the Alectoris, immediately flanking the tRNAGlu, evolve at an unusually low rate and show motifs similar to the mammalian extended termination-associated sequences [ETAS1 and ETAS2 (Sbisà et al. 1997)], which can form stable secondary structures. The second part of domain I contains a hypervariable region with two divergent copies of a tandemly repeated sequence described previously in other species of anseriforms and galliforms (Quinn and Wilson 1993; Fumihito et al. 1995). Some of the conserved sequence blocks of mammals can be mapped in the central domain of Alectoris. Domain III is highly variable and has sequences similar to mammalian CSB1. The bidirectional transcription promoter HSP/LSP box of the chicken is partially conserved among the Alectoris. This structural organization can be found in the anseriform and galliform species studied so far, suggesting that strong functional constraints might have controlled the evolution of the D-loop since the origin of Galloanserae. Their conserved organization and slow molecular evolution make D-loops of galliforms appropriate for phylogenetic studies, although homoplasy can be be generated at a few hypervariable sites and at some sites which probably have mutated by strand slippage during DNA replication. Phylogenetic analyses of D-loops of Alectoris are concordant with previously published cytochrome b and allozyme phylogenies (Randi 1996). Alectoris is monophyletic and includes three major clades: (1) basal barbara and melanocephala; (2) intermediate rufa and graeca; and (3) recent philbyi, magna, and chukar. Comparative description of the organization and substitution patterns of the mitochondrial control region can aid in mapping hypervariable sites and avoid some sources of homoplasy in data sets which are to be used in phylogenetic analyses.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008958	Models, Molecular	Models used experimentally or theoretically to study molecular shape, electronic properties, or interactions; includes analogous molecules, computer-generated graphics, and mechanical structures.	Molecular Models,Model, Molecular,Molecular Model
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D009690	Nucleic Acid Conformation	The spatial arrangement of the atoms of a nucleic acid or polynucleotide that results in its characteristic 3-dimensional shape.	DNA Conformation,RNA Conformation,Conformation, DNA,Conformation, Nucleic Acid,Conformation, RNA,Conformations, DNA,Conformations, Nucleic Acid,Conformations, RNA,DNA Conformations,Nucleic Acid Conformations,RNA Conformations
D010802	Phylogeny	The relationships of groups of organisms as reflected by their genetic makeup.	Community Phylogenetics,Molecular Phylogenetics,Phylogenetic Analyses,Phylogenetic Analysis,Phylogenetic Clustering,Phylogenetic Comparative Analysis,Phylogenetic Comparative Methods,Phylogenetic Distance,Phylogenetic Generalized Least Squares,Phylogenetic Groups,Phylogenetic Incongruence,Phylogenetic Inference,Phylogenetic Networks,Phylogenetic Reconstruction,Phylogenetic Relatedness,Phylogenetic Relationships,Phylogenetic Signal,Phylogenetic Structure,Phylogenetic Tree,Phylogenetic Trees,Phylogenomics,Analyse, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic,Analysis, Phylogenetic Comparative,Clustering, Phylogenetic,Community Phylogenetic,Comparative Analysis, Phylogenetic,Comparative Method, Phylogenetic,Distance, Phylogenetic,Group, Phylogenetic,Incongruence, Phylogenetic,Inference, Phylogenetic,Method, Phylogenetic Comparative,Molecular Phylogenetic,Network, Phylogenetic,Phylogenetic Analyse,Phylogenetic Clusterings,Phylogenetic Comparative Analyses,Phylogenetic Comparative Method,Phylogenetic Distances,Phylogenetic Group,Phylogenetic Incongruences,Phylogenetic Inferences,Phylogenetic Network,Phylogenetic Reconstructions,Phylogenetic Relatednesses,Phylogenetic Relationship,Phylogenetic Signals,Phylogenetic Structures,Phylogenetic, Community,Phylogenetic, Molecular,Phylogenies,Phylogenomic,Reconstruction, Phylogenetic,Relatedness, Phylogenetic,Relationship, Phylogenetic,Signal, Phylogenetic,Structure, Phylogenetic,Tree, Phylogenetic
D004272	DNA, Mitochondrial	Double-stranded DNA of MITOCHONDRIA. In eukaryotes, the mitochondrial GENOME is circular and codes for ribosomal RNAs, transfer RNAs, and about 10 proteins.	Mitochondrial DNA,mtDNA
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001483	Base Sequence	The sequence of PURINES and PYRIMIDINES in nucleic acids and polynucleotides. It is also called nucleotide sequence.	DNA Sequence,Nucleotide Sequence,RNA Sequence,DNA Sequences,Base Sequences,Nucleotide Sequences,RNA Sequences,Sequence, Base,Sequence, DNA,Sequence, Nucleotide,Sequence, RNA,Sequences, Base,Sequences, DNA,Sequences, Nucleotide,Sequences, RNA
D001717	Birds	Warm-blooded VERTEBRATES possessing FEATHERS and belonging to the class Aves.	Aves,Bird
D012689	Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid	The sequential correspondence of nucleotides in one nucleic acid molecule with those of another nucleic acid molecule. Sequence homology is an indication of the genetic relatedness of different organisms and gene function.	Base Sequence Homology,Homologous Sequences, Nucleic Acid,Homologs, Nucleic Acid Sequence,Homology, Base Sequence,Homology, Nucleic Acid Sequence,Nucleic Acid Sequence Homologs,Nucleic Acid Sequence Homology,Sequence Homology, Base,Base Sequence Homologies,Homologies, Base Sequence,Sequence Homologies, Base
D016133	Polymerase Chain Reaction	In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships.	Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain