Open AccessSequence amplification and gene rearrangement in parasitic nematode mitochondrial DNA.
Author(s) -
Bradley C. Hyman,
Joyce L. Beck,
Kimberly Weiss
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
genetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.792
H-Index - 246
eISSN - 1943-2631
pISSN - 0016-6731
DOI - 10.1093/genetics/120.3.707
Subject(s) - biology , mitochondrial dna , genetics , gene , genome , tandem repeat , extrachromosomal dna , inverted repeat , genomic organization , gene rearrangement , direct repeat , dna
The nematode Romanomermis culicivorax, an obligate mosquito parasite, possesses a 26 kilobase (kb) mitochondrial genome. The unusually large size is due to transcriptionally active DNA sequences present as 3.0 kb direct tandem repeats and as inverted portions of the repeating unit located elsewhere in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The genome rearrangements involved in establishing this unusual sequence organization may have dramatically altered conventional mitochondrial gene order. Genes for subunits of the cytochrome c oxidase complex (COI and COII) are normally closely linked in animal mtDNAs, but are separated by approximately 8 kb in this mitochondrial genome.