Covariation of mitochondrial genome size with gene lengths: evidence for gene length reduction during mitochondrial evolution

Journal of Molecular Evolution
André Schneider, Dieter Ebert

Abstract

Reduction of genome size and gene shortening have been observed in a number of parasitic and mutualistic intracellular symbionts. Reduction of coding capacity is also a unifying principle in the evolutionary history of mitochondria, but little is known about the evolution of gene length in mitochondria. The genes for cytochrome c oxidase subunits I-III, cytochrome b, and the large and small subunit rRNAs are, with very few exceptions, always found on the mitochondrial genome. These resident mitochondrial genes can therefore be used to test whether the reduction in gene lengths observed in a number of intracellular symbionts is also seen in mitochondria. Here we show that resident mitochondrial gene products are shorter than their corresponding counterparts in alpha-proteobacteria and, furthermore, that the reduction of mitochondrial genome size is correlated with a reduction in the length of the corresponding resident gene products. We show that relative genomic AT content, which has been identified as a factor influencing gene lengths in other systems, cannot explain gene length/genome size covariance observed in mitochondria. Our data are therefore in agreement with the idea that gene length evolves as a consequence of select...Continue Reading

Citations

Apr 3, 2009·Molecular Biology of the Cell·Martin PresteleMartin Ott
Jul 25, 2007·Molecular and Cellular Biology·Mascha PusnikAndré Schneider
Dec 6, 2011·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta·Kip E Guja, Miguel Garcia-Diaz
Oct 9, 2008·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta·Julio MontoyaEduardo Ruiz-Pesini
May 16, 2006·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta·Julio MontoyaEduardo Ruiz-Pesini
Apr 11, 2008·FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology·Hoa T K HoWim Gaastra
Nov 4, 2009·Drug Discovery Today·David Pacheu-GrauEduardo Ruiz-Pesini
Apr 12, 2015·Genome Biology and Evolution·Eli O van der SluisRoland Beckmann
Aug 28, 2010·Mitochondrial DNA·Nathan C SheffieldMichael F Whiting
Apr 1, 2020·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·Jacques Demongeot, Hervé Seligmann
Aug 14, 2021·Genetics and Molecular Biology·Catarine Aragone de Albuquerque MelloRita de Cássia de Moura

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