Evolution and Unprecedented Variants of the Mitochondrial Genetic Code in a Lineage of Green Algae.

ABSTRACT: Mitochondria of diverse eukaryotes have evolved various departures from the standard genetic code, but the breadth of possible modifications and their phylogenetic distribution are known only incompletely. Furthermore, it is possible that some codon reassignments in previously sequenced mitogenomes have been missed, resulting in inaccurate protein sequences in databases. Here we show, considering the distribution of codons at conserved amino acid positions in mitogenome-encoded proteins, that mitochondria of the green algal order Sphaeropleales exhibit a diversity of codon reassignments, including previously missed ones and some that are unprecedented in any translation system examined so far, necessitating redefinition of existing translation tables and creating at least seven new ones. W

SUBMITTER: Zihala D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6821328 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature