Relaxed selection on male mitochondrial genes in DUI bivalves eases the need for mitonuclear coevolution.

ABSTRACT: Mitonuclear coevolution is an important prerequisite for efficient energy production in eukaryotes. However, many bivalve taxa experience doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) and have sex-specific mitochondrial (mt) genomes, providing a challenge for mitonuclear coevolution. We examined possible mechanisms to reconcile mitonuclear coevolution with DUI. No nuclear-encoded, sex-specific OXPHOS paralogs were found in the DUI clam Ruditapes philippinarum, refuting OXPHOS paralogy as a solution in this species. It is also unlikely that mt changes causing disruption of nuclear interactions are strongly selected against because sex-specific mt-residues or those under positive selection in M mt genes were not depleted for contacting nuclear-encoded residues. However, M genomes showed consistently

SUBMITTER: Maeda GP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9090438 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature