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Evolutionary Shifts in Three Major Structural Features of the Mitochondrial Genome Among Iguanian Lizards
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Evolutionary Shifts in Three Major Structural Features of the Mitochondrial Genome Among Iguanian Lizards
J. Robert Macey1, Allan Larson1, Natalia B. Ananjeva2 and Theodore J. Papenfuss3
| (1) |
Department of Biology, Box 1137, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA, US |
| (2) |
Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia, RU |
| (3) |
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA, US |
Abstract. A phylogenetic tree for major lineages of iguanian lizards is estimated from 1,488 aligned base positions (858 informative)
of newly reported mitochondrial DNA sequences representing coding regions for eight tRNAs, ND2, and portions of ND1 and COI.
Two well-supported groups are defined, the Acrodonta and the Iguanidae (sensu lato). This phylogenetic hypothesis is used
to investigate evolutionary shifts in mitochondrial gene order, origin for light-strand replication, and secondary structure
of tRNA Cys. These three characters shift together on the branch leading to acrodont lizards. Plate tectonics and the fossil record indicate
that these characters changed in the Jurassic. We propose that changes to the secondary structure of tRNA Cys may destroy function of the origin for light-strand replication which, in turn, may facilitate shifts in gene order.
Key words: Reptilia — Sauria — Iguania — Gene organization — Cystein transfer RNA — Mitochondrial DNA — Phylogenetics
Received: 28 May 1996 / Accepted: 27 December 1996
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