The genus Sylvilagus, which comprises the New World cottontail rabbits, contains several commercially important as well as endangered (or threatened) species. Understanding the evolution of this group is pertinent to their management and conservation. The purpose of this study was to examine the evolutionary history of the cottontails using sequence data from the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Th...

Anemonefishes (Pomacentridae Amphiprioninae) are a group of 30 valid coral reef fish species with their phylogenetic relationships still under debate. The eight available mitogenomes of anemonefishes were used to reconstruct the molecular phylogenetic tree; six were obtained from this study (Amphiprion clarkii, A. frenatus, A. percula, A. perideraion, A. polymnus and Premnas biaculeatus) and tw...

This project aims to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among the extant species of Varanus in order to elucidate the origins of Varanidae, using DNA sequences. Results obtained for a minimum of 662 nucleotides of 12S rRNA sequence data from each of 21 extant species of Varanus indicate that the Australian varanids form a single monophyletic clade and also suggest that within the Australian...

We recovered molecular phylogenetic relationships amongst species of the genus Ablepharus in Iran and Iraq. Partial sequences three mitochondrial genes (cytochrome C oxidase subunit I – COI, 12S rRNA 16S rRNA) were analysed. In addition, taxonomic evaluation Cyprus, India, Greece, Turkey Syria performed using partial gene. Phylogenetic trees estimated genetic distances showed that populations I...

The initiation sites for heavy (H) and light (L) strand transcription in HeLa cell mitochondrial DNA have been investigated by mapping experiments utilizing in vitro "capped" mitochondrial RNA molecules or nascent RNA chains. Mitochondrial poly(A)-containing RNA molecules were labeled at their 5' ends with [alpha-32P]GTP and guanylyltransferase ("capping" enzyme) and mapped on the mitochondrial...

Mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs (mtrRNAs) have been reported to translocate extra-mitochondrially and localize to the germ cell determinant of oocytes and zygotes in some metazoa except mammals. To address whether the mtrRNAs also localize in the mammals, expression and distribution of mitochondrion-encoded RNAs in the mouse oocytes and zygotes was examined by whole-mount in situ hybridization (IS...

In the absence of certainty, well-supported phylogenies stand as our best estimates of the correct evolutionary relationships for a group (Miyamoto and Cracraft 199 1). Such phylogenies provide a solid foundation for understanding the origins and history of biological diversity and the forces responsible for them. However, what remains less obvious is that they can also serve as standards again...