Mitogenomes Reveal Alternative Initiation Codons and Lineage-Specific Gene Order Conservation in Echinoderms.

Zheng Bin Randolph Quek, Jia Jin Marc Chang, Yin Cheong Aden Ip, Yong Kit Samuel Chan, Danwei Huang

Molecular biology and evolution 2021 Mar 09

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The mitochondrial genetic code is much more varied than the standard genetic code. The invertebrate mitochondrial code, for instance, comprises six initiation codons, including five alternative start codons. However, only two initiation codons are known in the echinoderm and flatworm mitochondrial code, the canonical ATG and alternative GTG. Here, we analyzed 23 Asteroidea mitogenomes, including ten newly sequenced species and unambiguously identified at least two other start codons, ATT and ATC, both of which also initiate translation of mitochondrial genes in other invertebrates. These findings underscore the diversity of the genetic code and expand upon the suite of initiation codons among echinoderms to avoid erroneous annotations. Our analyses have also uncovered the remarkable conservation of gene order among asteroids, echinoids, and holothuroids, with only an interchange between two gene positions in asteroids over ∼500 Ma of echinoderm evolution. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

Citation

Zheng Bin Randolph Quek, Jia Jin Marc Chang, Yin Cheong Aden Ip, Yong Kit Samuel Chan, Danwei Huang. Mitogenomes Reveal Alternative Initiation Codons and Lineage-Specific Gene Order Conservation in Echinoderms. Molecular biology and evolution. 2021 Mar 09;38(3):981-985