Variation in mitochondrial cytochrome b sequence in natural populations of South American akodontine rodents (Muridae: Sigmodontinae)

• Published in: Molecular biology and evolution Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 85 - 103
• Main Authors: SMITH, M. F, PATTON, J. L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 1991
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Biological evolution; Cytochrome b Group - genetics; Cytochrome b Group - metabolism; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes; Genetic Variation; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Mice; Mitochondria - enzymology; Molecular Sequence Data; Muridae - genetics; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; South America; South America; Divergence; Nucleotide sequence; Interspecific comparison; Rodentia; Homology; Mitochondrial DNA; Phylogeny; Molecular evolution; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Cytochrome b; Molecular cloning; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 0737-4038; 1537-1719; 1537-1719
• DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a040638

A 401-bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced from polymerase chain reaction-amplified products for 20 natural populations representing 12 species of South American akodontine rodents (Muridae). Variation among these taxa increased with their hierarchical position, from comparisons within local populations to those among different genera. Two individuals from the same local population differed by less than 1% sequence divergence. Sequence divergence among geographic samples within a species was 0.25%-8%, while that among species was 3%-21%. Comparisons of the akodontine sequences with that for the house mouse show 21%-25% sequence difference. A parsimony-based phylogenetic analysis of the data supports the placement of the taxon Microxus within Akodon (sensu stricto), of Bolomys just outside the Akodon cluster, and of Chroeomys as a separate genus quite distinct from the other members of this group. This phylogenetic hypothesis is identical to that determined from electrophoretic data but is quite divergent from the present taxonomy of the group.