MBE Advance Access originally published online on January 12, 2005
Molecular Biology and Evolution 2005 22(4):925-933; doi:10.1093/molbev/msi084
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Research Article |
Widespread Recombination in Published Animal mtDNA Sequences1



* Department of Biology, University of Crete, Iraklio, Crete, Greece;
Institute of Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Observatory 7925, Cape Town, South Africa;
Centre for the Study of Evolution & School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom; and
Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Vigo, Vigo, Spain
E-mail: zouros{at}biology.uoc.gr.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) recombination has been observed in several animal species, but there are doubts as to whether it is common or only occurs under special circumstances. Animal mtDNA sequences retrieved from public databases were unambiguously aligned and rigorously tested for evidence of recombination. At least 30 recombination events were detected among 186 alignments examined. Recombinant sequences were found in invertebrates and vertebrates, including primates. It appears that mtDNA recombination may occur regularly in the animal cell but rarely produces new haplotypes because of homoplasmy. Common animal mtDNA recombination would necessitate a reexamination of phylogenetic and biohistorical inference based on the assumption of clonal mtDNA transmission. Recombination may also have an important role in producing and purging mtDNA mutations and thus in mtDNA-based diseases and senescence.
Key Words: animal mtDNA recombination
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