Molecular phylogeny of the Chinese ranids inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences

The phylogeny of representative species of Chinese ranids was reconstructed using two nuclear (tyrosinase and rhodopsin) and two mitochondrial (12S rRNA, 16S rRNA) DNA fragments. Maximum parsimony, Bayesian, and maximum likelihood analyses were employed.-

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in Guangdong Han Chinese

Previous investigations on Chinese mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation revealed that the matrilineal gene pool of southern Han Chinese is rather complex, with much higher genetic diversity and more basal/ancient lineages than the northern Hans. The extrem

Relaxation of selective constraints on avian mitochondrial DNA following the degeneration of flight ability

The evolution of flight is the most important feature of birds, and this ability has helped them become one of the most successful groups of vertebrates. However, some species have independently lost their ability to fly. The degeneration of flight abilit

Tracing the Origins of Hakka and Chaoshanese by Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

Hakka and Chaoshanese are two unique Han populations residing in southern China but with northern Han (NH) cultural traditions and linguistic influences. Although most of historical records indicate that both populations migrated from northern China in the last two thousand years, no consensus on their origins has been reached so far. To shed more light on the origins of Hakka and Chaoshanese, mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) of 170 Hakka from Meizhou and 102 Chaoshanese from Chaoshan area, Guangdong Province, were analyzed. Our results show that some southern Chinese predominant haplogroups, e.g. B, F, and M7, have relatively high frequencies in both populations. Although median network analyses show that Hakka/Chaoshanese share some haplotypes with NH, interpopulation comparison reveals that both populations show closer affinity with southern Han (SH) populations than with NH. In consideration of previous results from nuclear gene (including Y chromosome) research, it is likely that matrilineal landscapes of both Hakka and Chaoshanese have largely been shaped by the local people during their migration southward and/or later colonization in southern China, and factors such as cultural assimilation, patrilocality, and even sex-bias in the immigrants might have played important roles during the process. Am J Phys Anthropol 141:124-130, 2010. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

线粒体DNA和人类进化

通过对线粒体DNA(mtDNA)全序列的限制性酶切和D-环高变区序列数据的分析,mtDNA较好地阐明了人类学中诸如现代人类起源、人群过去动态的估计以及单个人群的区域性微分化和人口历史学等问题。综述了近年来世界各人群mtDNA的研究进展、研究方法的改进、mtDNA与核基因标记结果的异同、mtDNA与语言的协同进化关系、古老DNA研究以及当前关于这种遗传标记本身遗传特性的争论。

人类线粒体DNA变异的检测方法和思路

基于线粒体DNA(mtDNA)的研究对于人群源流迁移、线粒体相关疾病病因的探讨和法医鉴定等具有重要意义,就检测人线粒体突变的一些常用方法,如RFLP、SSO和控制区测序等作一小结和归纳,并重点介绍目前mtDNA突变的筛选方法和思路。另外,还总结了近年来对人mtDNA方面的研究结果,对世界人群中主要单倍型类群(haplogroup)特征变异位点和相应的酶切检测引物作了归纳。

Ribosomal DNA gene and phylogenetic relationships of Diplura and lower Hexapods

The monophyly of Diplura and its phylogenetic relationship with other hexapods are important for understanding the phylogeny of Hexapoda. The complete 18SrRNA gene and partial 28SrRNA gene (D3-D5 region) from 2 dipluran species (Campodeidae and Japygidae), 2 proturan species, 3 collembolan species, and 1 locust species were sequenced. Combining related sequences in GenBank, phylogenetic trees of Hexapoda were constructed by MP method using a crustacean Artemia salina as an outgroup. The results indicated that: (i) the integrated data of 18SrDNA and 28SrDNA could provide better phylogenetic information, which well supported the monophyly of Diplura; (ii) Diplura had a close phylogenetic relationship to Protura with high bootstrap support.

Reconstructing the evolutionary history of China: A caveat about inferences drawn from ancient DNA

The decipherment of the meager information provided by short fragments of ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is notoriously difficult but is regarded as a most promising way toward reconstructing the past from the genetic perspective. By haplogroup-specific hypervariable segment (HVS) motif search and matching or near-matching with available modem data sets, most of the ancient mtDNAs can be tentatively assigned to haplogroups, which are often subcontinent specific. Further typing for mtDNA haplogroup-diagnostic coding region polymorphisms, however, is indispensable for establishing the geographic/genetic affinities of ancient samples with less ambiguity. In the present study, we sequenced a fragment (similar to 982 bp) of the mtDNA control region in 76 Han individuals from Taian, Shandong, China, and we combined these data with previously reported samples from Zibo and Qingdao, Shandong. The reanalysis of two previously published ancient mtDNA population data sets from Linzi (same province) then indicates that the ancient populations had features in common with the modem populations from south China rather than any specific affinity to the European mtDNA pool. Our results highlight that ancient mtDNA data obtained under different sampling schemes and subject to potential contamination can easily create the impression of drastic spatiotemporal changes in the genetic structure of a regional population during the past few thousand years if inappropriate methods of data analysis are employed.

Mitochondrial DNA Haplogroups M7b1 ' 2 and M8a Affect Clinical Expression of Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy in Chinese Families with the m.11778G -> A Mutation

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most extensively studied mitochondrial disease, with the majority of the cases being caused by one of three primary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. Incomplete disease penetrance and gender bias are two

Phylogeny of mitochondrial DNA macrohaplogroup N in India, based on complete sequencing: Implications for the peopling of South Asia

To resolve the phylogeny of the autochthonous mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups of India and determine the relationship between the Indian and western Eurasian mtDNA pools more precisely, a diverse subset of 75 macrohaplogroup N lineages was chosen fo

More evidence for non-maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA?

Background: A single case of paternal co-transmission ofmitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in humans has been reported so far. Objective: To find potential instances of non-maternal inheritance of mtDNA. Methods: Published medical case studies (of single patients) were searched for irregular mtDNA patterns by comparing the given haplotype information for different clones or tissues with the worldwide mtDNA database as known to date-a method that has proved robust and reliable for the detection of flawed mtDNA sequence data. Results: More than 20 studies were found reporting clear cut instances with mtDNAs of different ancestries in single individuals. As examples, cases are reviewed from recent published reports which, at face value, may be taken as evidence for paternal inheritance of mtDNA or recombination. Conclusions: Multiple types (or recombinant types) of quite dissimilar mitochondrial DNA from different parts of the known mtDNA phylogeny are often reported in single individuals. From re-analyses and corrigenda of forensic mtDNA data, it is apparent that the phenomenon of mixed or mosaic mtDNA can be ascribed solely to contamination and sample mix up.

Phantom mutation hotspots in human mitochondrial DNA

Phantom mutations are systematic artifacts generated in the course of the sequencing process. Contra common belief these artificial mutations are nearly ubiquitous in sequencing results, albeit at frequencies that may vary dramatically. The amount of artifacts depends not only on the sort of automated sequencer and sequencing chemistry employed, but also on other lab-specific factors. An experimental study executed on four samples under various combinations of sequencing conditions revealed a number of phantom mutations occurring at the same sites of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) repeatedly. To confirm these and identify further hotspots for artifacts, > 5000 mtDNA electropherograms were screened for artificial patterns. Further, > 30000 published hypervariable segment 1 sequences were compared at potential hotspots for phantom mutations, especially for variation at positions 16085 and 16197. Resequencing of several samples confirmed the artificial nature of these and other polymorphisms in the original publications. Single-strand sequencing, as typically executed in medical and anthropological studies, is thus highly vulnerable to this kind of artifacts. In particular, phantom mutation hotspots could easily lead to misidentification of somatic mutations and to misinterpretations in all kinds of clinical mtDNA studies.

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA variants in Japanese patients with schizophrenia

To test the hypothesis that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants contribute to the susceptibility to schizophrenia, we sequenced the entire mtDNAs from 93 Japanese schizophrenic patients. Three non-synonymous homoplasmic variants in subunit six of the ATP s

DNA拓扑异构酶Ⅱ与ⅠA的进化分析

DNA拓扑异构酶与断开DNA链和改变其拓扑结构有关。先前的研究认为,拓扑异构酶TypeⅡB是由TypeⅡA通过基因的复制、重组和缺失所造成。然而,本研究结果则显示,TypeⅠA与TypeⅡB的进化关系较近,而TypeⅡA与TypeⅡB的关系较远。因此,TypeⅡB可能是由TypeⅠA演化而来,或者说,TypeⅡB是TypeⅠA在古细菌中的特化形式;TypeⅡB可能是由TypeⅡA通过形成TypeⅠA后演化而成的,而不是由TypeⅡA直接通过基因的复制、重组和缺失所造成。在由TypeⅡA演化成为TypeⅠA,最后演化为TypeⅡB的过程中,DNA拓扑异构酶的催化机制也发生了变化从需要金属离子的协助,演化到了不需要镁离子的存在协助其催化。

DNA 水平自然选择作用的检测

上个世纪60 年代, Kimura 提出的“中性进化”假说使经典的达尔文自然选择学说遭遇了前所未有 的挑战。但新近的研究表明: 在DNA 水平, 越来越多的证据支持“自然选择”的进化理论。这些研究成果得益 于近年来大量群体和基因组DNA 数据的积累, 以及理论群体遗传学的发展。在DNA 水平检测选择作用是否存 在的方法包括两大类: 种内多态性检验和种间差异度检验。前者以Tajima (1989) 提出的D 检验为代表, 后者 大都基于“中性条件下, 种内与种间进化速率一致”的原理。这些方法以中性假说作为零假设, 结合统计检验 方法分析DNA 数据, 被称为“中性检验”。这些方法对于解决一些有关进化的基础理论问题和人类遗传学及生 物信息学的深入研究都具有重要意义。本文介绍几个应用广泛的检测方法, 以使国内的读者了解它们的基本思 路和操作方法。