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Mitochondrial Involvement in Vertebrate Speciation? The Case of Mito-nuclear Genetic Divergence in Chameleons

Bar-Yaacov, D; Hadjivasiliou, Z; Levin, L; Barshad, G; Zarivach, R; Bouskila, A; Mishmar, D; (2015) Mitochondrial Involvement in Vertebrate Speciation? The Case of Mito-nuclear Genetic Divergence in Chameleons. Genome Biology and Evolution , 7 (12) pp. 3322-3336. 10.1093/gbe/evv226. Green open access

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Abstract

Compatibility between the nuclear (nDNA) and mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes is important for organismal health. However, its significance for major evolutionary processes such as speciation is unclear, especially in vertebrates. We previously identified a sharp mtDNA-specific sequence divergence between morphologically indistinguishable chameleon populations (Chamaeleo chamaeleon recticrista) across an ancient Israeli marine barrier (Jezreel Valley). Because mtDNA introgression and gender-based dispersal were ruled out, we hypothesized that mtDNA spatial division was maintained by mito-nuclear functional compensation. Here, we studied RNA-seq generated from each of ten chameleons representing the north and south populations and identified candidate nonsynonymous substitutions (NSSs) matching the mtDNA spatial distribution. The most prominent NSS occurred in 14 nDNA-encoded mitochondrial proteins. Increased chameleon sample size (N = 70) confirmed the geographic differentiation in POLRMT, NDUFA5, ACO1, LYRM4, MARS2, and ACAD9. Structural and functionality evaluation of these NSSs revealed high functionality. Mathematical modeling suggested that this mito-nuclear spatial divergence is consistent with hybrid breakdown. We conclude that our presented evidence and mathematical model underline mito-nuclear interactions as a likely role player in incipient speciation in vertebrates.

Type: Article
Title: Mitochondrial Involvement in Vertebrate Speciation? The Case of Mito-nuclear Genetic Divergence in Chameleons
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evv226
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evv226
Additional information: © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > London Centre for Nanotechnology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1503778
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