Molecular evolution and adaptation of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in the subgenus Martes

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Martes species represent a typical example of rapid evolutionary radiation and a recent speciation event. To identify regions of the genome that experienced adaptive evolution, which might provide clues to their functional importance and may be informative about the features that make each species unique, we sought evidence of molecular adaptation in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) cytochrome b gene in the subgenus Martes. Complete sequences of the cytochrome b gene were obtained from 87 samples, including 49 sables, 28 pine martens, and 10 stone martens, and were combined with mtDNA sequences of other true martens, such as M. melampus and M. americana. Analysis of the cytochrome b gene variation in true martens has shown that the evolution of this gene is under negative selection. In contrast, positive selection on the cytochrome b protein has been detected by means of the software TreeSAAP using a phylogenetic reconstruction of Martes taxa. Signatures of adaptive variation in cytochrome b were restricted to the transmembrane domains, which likely function as proton pumps. We compared results of different methods for testing selection and molecular adaptation, and we supposed that the radical changes of the cytochrome b amino acid residues in the subgenus Martes may be the result of molecular adaptation to specific environmental conditions coupled with species dispersals.

Genetic analysis of Turkish martens: Do two species of the genus Martes occur in Anatolia?

“…In addition to the novel sequences generated for this study, we downloaded CytB sequences of M. foina and M. martes (Hosoda et al, ; Stone & Cook, ; Fernandes et al, ; Koepfli et al, ; Yu et al, ; Li et al, , ; Andreadou, ) from the GenBank database (NCBI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nucleotide/) and added them to the alignments for phylogenetic analyses (Table ). The tayra, Eira barbara (accession number: ; Koepfli & Wayne, ) and the fisher, Martes pennanti (accession number: ; Koepfli and Wayne () were used as outgroups to root phylogenetic trees.…”

О РЕЗУЛЬТАТАХ СПАРИВАНИЯ СОБОЛЯ (Martes zibellina Linnaeus, 1758) КЛЕТОЧНОГО РАЗВЕДЕНИЯ И ПРОМЫСЛОВОГО ДЛЯ ПОЛУЧЕНИЯ ГЕНОТИПОВ С РАЗНОЙ ОКРАСКОЙ ВОЛОСЯНОГО ПОКРОВА

“…К подроду Martes на территории Евразии относят также лесную (M. martes L., 1754), каменную (M. foina foina Erxleben, 1777) куниц и харзу (M. flavigula Bjddaert, 1785) (1,5,6). За пределами Евразии обитают еще два представителя подрода Martes (7). При пересечении ареала соболя и куницы встречаются их гибриды -кидусы (1,8,9).…”