title: Complete mitochondrial genome of Chinese big-headed turtle, Platysternon megacephalum, with a novel gene organization in vertebrate mtDNA.
abstract: The mitochondrial genome of the Chinese big-headed turtle, Platysternon megacephalum, was obtained using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The entire mtDNA sequence, the longest mitochondrial genome in turtles reported so far, is 19161 bp. This mitochondrial genome exhibits a novel gene order, which greatly differs from that of any other vertebrates. It is characterized by four distinctive features: 1) the translocation of a gene cluster including three tRNA genes (tRNAHis, tRNASer, tRNALeu(CUN)) and ND5 gene, 2) two tRNAThr pseudogenes, 3) a duplication of pseudo tRNAThr/tRNAPro/D-loop region and 4) 3 non-coding spacers. These unique identities represent a new mitogenomic gene order in vertebrates. The TDRL model was proposed to account for the generation of the gene order in P. megacephalum.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Sciences, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, Anhui 241000, PR China.
authors.forename: Qiao-Ling
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Liu-Wang
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Nie
authors.forename: You-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Pu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D021901:DNA, Intergenic / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D020440:Gene Duplication; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial; D016678:Genome; D008957:Models, Genetic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011544:Pseudogenes; D012361:RNA, Transfer, Pro / Q000235:genetics; D012363:RNA, Transfer, Thr / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014178:Translocation, Genetic; D014426:Turtles / Q000235:genetics*; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012361:RNA, Transfer, Pro; D012363:RNA, Transfer, Thr