title: Complete mtDNA of Ciona intestinalis reveals extensive gene rearrangement and the presence of an atp8 and an extra trnM gene in ascidians.
abstract: The complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of the model organism Ciona intestinalis (Urochordata, Ascidiacea) has been amplified by long-PCR using specific primers designed on putative mitochondrial transcripts identified from publicly available mitochondrial-like expressed sequence tags. The C. intestinalis mtDNA encodes 39 genes: 2 rRNAs, 13 subunits of the respiratory complexes, including ATPase subunit 8 ( atp8), and 24 tRNAs, including 2 tRNA-Met with anticodons 5'-UAU-3'and 5'-CAU-3', respectively. All genes are transcribed from the same strand. This gene content seems to be a common feature of ascidian mtDNAs, as we have verified the presence of a previously undetected atp8 and of two trnM genes in the two other sequenced ascidian mtDNAs. Extensive gene rearrangement has been found in C. intestinalis with respect not only to the common Vertebrata/Cephalochordata/Hemichordata gene organization but also to other ascidian mtDNAs, including the cogeneric Ciona savignyi. Other features such as the absence of long noncoding regions, the shortness of rRNA genes, the low GC content (21.4%), and the absence of asymmetric base distribution between the two strands suggest that this genome is more similar to those of some protostomes than to deuterostomes.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomolecolari e Biotecnologie, Università di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gissi
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iannelli
authors.forename: Graziano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pesole
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002938:Ciona intestinalis / Q000235:genetics*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D011506:Proteins; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012343:RNA, Transfer