A comparative approach shows differences in patterns of numt insertion during hominoid evolution.

ABSTRACT: Nuclear integrations of mitochondrial DNA (numts) are widespread among eukaryotes, although their prevalence differs greatly among taxa. Most knowledge of numt evolution comes from analyses of whole-genome sequences of single species or, more recently, from genomic comparisons across vast phylogenetic distances. Here we employ a comparative approach using human and chimpanzee genome sequence data to infer differences in the patterns and processes underlying numt integrations. We identified 66 numts that have integrated into the chimpanzee nuclear genome since the human-chimp divergence, which is significantly greater than the 37 numts observed in humans. By comparing these closely related species, we accurately reconstructed the preintegration target site sequence and deduced nucleotide ch

SUBMITTER: Jensen-Seaman MI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3140062 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature