No abstract

The complete sequence (14,189 bp) of the mitochondrial DNA of the opisthobranch gastropod Pupa strigosa was determined. The genome contains 13 protein, 2 rRNA, and 22 tRNA genes typical of metazoan mtDNA. The Pupa mitochondrial genome is highly compact and shows the following unusual features, like pulmonate land snails: (1) extremely small genome size, (2) absence of lengthy noncoding regions (with the largest intergenic spacer being only 46 nt), (3) size reduction of encoded genes, and (4) many overlapping genes. Several tRNA genes exhibit bizarre secondary structures with reduced T or D stems, and many tRNA genes have unstable acceptor stems that might be corrected by posttranscriptional RNA editing. The Pupa mitochondrial gene arrangement is almost identical to those of pulmonate land snails but is radically divergent from those of the prosobranch gastropod Littorina saxatilis and other molluscs. Our finding that the unique gene arrangement and highly compact genome organization are shared between opisthobranch and pulmonate gastropods strongly suggests their close phylogenetic affinity.

We assess variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) using partial sequences (560 bp) of the COI gene among populations of Japanese land snails, Euhadra peliomphala. Phylogeographical analysis reveals ®ve primary clades that correspond basically to ®ve discrete areas: the Boso Peninsula (B), the Kanto area (K), around Lake Ashinoko (A), the Northern Izu Peninsula (N), and the Southern Izu Peninsula (S). Although there are no current geographical barriers separating these ®ve subpopulations, the borders between each area correspond to palaeogeographical events during the Pleistocene, such as volcanic activities and the disappearance of the landbridge between the Southern Boso area and the mainland of Japan. In addition, our analysis of isolation-by-distance and the distribution of pairwise sequence dierences indicate that haplotypes of the B and K lineages have recently increased their population size exponentially. We have also discovered interspeci®c mtDNA introgression between E. peliomphala and the parapatric species E. brandtii at the contact zone in the Northern Kanto area. Unexpectedly, the E. brandtii-type mtDNA was also found in the populations of E. peliomphala in the Southern Boso area. Because recent contact between both species is unlikely, the introgressed mtDNA of E. brandtii could be a remnant of past hybridization, when E. peliomphala colonized this area via the landbridge that existed in the early Pleistocene.

The gene, rpb1, encoding the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II has been cloned from Schizosaccharomyces pombe using the corresponding gene, RPB1, of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a cross-hybridization probe. We have determined the complete sequence of this gene, and parts of PCR-amplified rpb1 cDNA. The predicted coding sequence, interrupted by six introns, encodes a polypeptide of 1,752 amino acid residues in length with a molecular weight of 194 kilodaltons. This polypeptide contains eight conserved structural domains characteristic of the largest subunit of RNA polymerases from other eukaryotes and, in addition, 29 repetitions of the C-terminal heptapeptide found in all the eukaryotic RNA polymerase II largest subunits so far examined.

Complete sequence determination of the brachiopod Lingula anatina mtDNA (28,818 bp) revealed an organization that is remarkably atypical for an animal mt-genome. In addition to the usual set of 37 animal mitochondrial genes, which make up only 57% (16,555 bp) of the entire sequence, the genome contains lengthy unassigned sequences. All the genes are encoded in the same DNA strand, generally in a compact way, whereas the overall gene order is highly divergent in comparison with known animal mtDNA. Individual genes are generally longer and deviate considerably in sequence from their homologues in other animals. The genome contains two major repeat regions, in which 11 units of unassigned sequences and six genes (atp8, trnM, trnQ, trnV, and part of cox2 and nad2) are found in repetition, in the form of nested direct repeats of unparalleled complexity. One of the repeat regions contains unassigned repeat units dispersed among several unique sequences, novel repetitive structure for animal mtDNAs. Each of those unique sequences contains an open reading frame for a polypeptide between 80 and 357 amino acids long, potentially encoding a functional molecule, but none of them has been identified with known proteins. In both repeat regions, tRNA genes or tRNA gene-like sequences flank major repeated units, supporting the view that those structures play a role in the mitochondrial gene rearrangements. Although the intricate repeated organization of this genome can be explained by recurrent tandem duplications and subsequent deletions mediated by replication errors, other mechanisms, such as nonhomologous recombinations, appear to explain certain structures more easily.