Journal article
Chimeric mitochondrial minichromosomes of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus: Evidence for homologous and non-homologous recombination
Gene, Vol.473(1), pp.36-43
2011
Abstract
The mitochondrial (mt) genome of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus, consists of 18 minichromosomes. Each minichromosome is 3 to 4 kb long and has 1 to 3 genes. There is unequivocal evidence for recombination between different mt minichromosomes in P. humanus. It is not known, however, how these minichromosomes recombine. Here, we report the discovery of eight chimeric mt minichromosomes in P. humanus. We classify these chimeric mt minichromosomes into two groups: Group I and Group II. Group I chimeric minichromosomes contain parts of two different protein-coding genes that are from different minichromosomes. The two parts of protein-coding genes in each Group I chimeric minichromosome are joined at a microhomologous nucleotide sequence; microhomologous nucleotide sequences are hallmarks of non-homologous recombination. Group II chimeric minichromosomes contain all of the genes and the non-coding regions of two different minichromosomes. The conserved sequence blocks in the non-coding regions of Group II chimeric minichromosomes resemble the "recombination repeats" in the non-coding regions of the mt genomes of higher plants. These repeats are essential to homologous recombination in higher plants. Our analyses of the nucleotide sequences of chimeric mt minichromosomes indicate both homologous and non-homologous recombination between minichromosomes in the mitochondria of the human body louse.
Details
- Title
- Chimeric mitochondrial minichromosomes of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus: Evidence for homologous and non-homologous recombination
- Authors
- Renfu Shao (Author) - University of QueenslandS C Barker (Author) - University of Queensland
- Publication details
- Gene, Vol.473(1), pp.36-43
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2011
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.gene.2010.11.002
- ISSN
- 0378-1119
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449906602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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