Mitochondrial DNA (1075 bp: cytochrome b, 300 bp; 12S rRNA, 393 bp; and 16S rRNA, 382 bp) corroborates the monophyly of the genus Macroprotodon and of the species M. mauritanicus, M. abubakeri, and M. brevis. The subspecies M. brevis ibericus is also monophyletic. The mtDNA tree presented here indicates that M. cucullatus consists of at least two separate units and may possibly represent a prim...

BACKGROUND Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations are known to cause Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON). However, the co-occurrence of double pathogenic mutations with different pathological significance in pedigrees is a rare event. METHODS Detailed clinical investigation and complete mtDNA sequencing analysis was performed for two Indian families with LHON. The haplogroup was constructed...

Previous studies showed that fish mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is set up by a closed circular molecule of 16-17 kilobases (kb), comprising 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNA), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), 13 protein-coding genes and 2 non-coding regions. The analysis of single mtDNA genes, such as Cytb, COI, 16S and 12S, or short segment of them, has been widely used against species substitution in both...

Partial DNA sequences from two mitochondrial (mt) and one nuclear gene (cytochrome b, 12S rRNA, and C-mos) were used to estimate the phylogenetic relationships among the six extant species of skinks endemic to the Cape Verde Archipelago. The species form a monophyletic unit, indicating a single colonization of the islands, probably from West Africa. Mabuya vaillanti and M. delalandii are sister...

Although members of the crustacean genus Daphnia have been the target of much research, there is little understanding of the group's evolutionary history. We addressed this gap by inferring a phylogeny for one of the major species groups (longispina) using nucleotide sequence variation of a 525-bp segment of the mitochondrial 12S rDNA and allozyme variation at 21 loci. We identified the major l...

Mitochondrial 12S rRNA sequence data were used to examine the taxonomic status of the endemic brown, Auckland Island, and Campbell Island teal. Based on phylogenetic reconstructions using the 12S rRNA data we have found that the Great Barrier Island brown teal, and the Auckland and Campbell Island teals form a discrete clade, to the exclusion of the Fiordland brown teal. All of the Fiordland br...

In the absence of certainty, well-supported phylogenies stand as our best estimates of the correct evolutionary relationships for a group (Miyamoto and Cracraft 199 1). Such phylogenies provide a solid foundation for understanding the origins and history of biological diversity and the forces responsible for them. However, what remains less obvious is that they can also serve as standards again...