Population Genetics of Paramecium Mitochondrial Genomes: Recombination, Mutation Spectrum, and Efficacy of Selection.

ABSTRACT: The evolution of mitochondrial genomes and their population-genetic environment among unicellular eukaryotes are understudied. Ciliate mitochondrial genomes exhibit a unique combination of characteristics, including a linear organization and the presence of multiple genes with no known function or detectable homologs in other eukaryotes. Here we study the variation of ciliate mitochondrial genomes both within and across 13 highly diverged Paramecium species, including multiple species from the P. aurelia species complex, with four outgroup species: P. caudatum, P. multimicronucleatum, and two strains that may represent novel related species. We observe extraordinary conservation of gene order and protein-coding content in Paramecium mitochondria across species. In contrast, significant dif

SUBMITTER: Johri P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6505448 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature