Analysis of the evolutionary forces shaping mitochondrial genomes of a Neotropical malaria vector complex.

ABSTRACT: Many vectors of human malaria belong to complexes of morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Here we report the analysis of the newly sequenced complete mitochondrial DNA molecules from six recognized or putative species of one such group, the Neotropical Anopheles albitarsis complex. The molecular evolution of these genomes had been driven by purifying selection, particularly strongly acting on the RNA genes. Directional mutation pressure associated with the strand-asynchronous asymmetric mtDNA replication mechanism may have shaped a pronounced DNA strand asymmetry in the nucleotide composition in these and other Anopheles species. The distribution of sequence polymorphism, coupled with the conflicting phylogenetic trees inferred from the mitochondrial DNA and from the publishe

SUBMITTER: Krzywinski J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3046294 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature