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The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the crustacean Artemia franciscana

Authors :
José R. Valverde
Carmen Moratilla
Beatriz Batuecas
Roberto Marco
Rafael Garesse
Source :
Journal of Molecular Evolution. 39:400-408
Publication Year :
1994
Publisher :
Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1994.

Abstract

The complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana has been determined. It extends the present knowledge of mitochondrial genomes to the crustacean class and supplies molecular markers for future comparative studies in this large branch of the arthropod phylum. Artemia mtDNA is 15,822 nucleotides long, and when compared with its Drosophila counterpart, it shows very few gene rearrangements, merely affecting two tRNAs placed 3' downstream of the ND 2 gene. In this position a stem-loop secondary structure with characteristics similar to the vertebrate mtDNA L-strand origin of replication is found. This suggests that, associated with tRNA changes, the diversification of the mitochondrial genome from an ancestor common to crustacea and insects could be explained by errors in the mtDNA replication process. Although the gene content is the same as in most animal mtDNAs, the sizes of the protein coding genes are in some cases considerably smaller. Artemia mtDNA uses the same genetic code as found in insects, ATN and GTG are used as initiation codons, and several genes end in incomplete T or TA codons.

Details

ISSN :
14321432 and 00222844
Volume :
39
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Journal of Molecular Evolution
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....a035d63a7c5cd46f66b7358717cf0d60