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2002
LSU-HHMI Summer Undergraduate Research Program |
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 Ashantice
Higgins (Howard University) (David Pollock, LSU Dept. of Biological
Sciences) NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 used to
test the functionality of the duplicate control region found
in snake mtDNA
A specific region of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of several
squamate (snakes and lizards) species was amplified. The region
of amplification began from the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2
gene to the 16s rRNA gene. Within this location of the mtDNA
of advanced snakes lies a duplicate control region (a section
within the mitochondrial genome that initiates replication).
The original control region is located between the 12s rRNA
and cytochrome b genes. The duplicate control region has been
identified in several species within the superfamily of the
advanced snakes, alethinophidia. However, the duplicate control
region is not contained in the mtDNA of lizards or the more
primitive snakes of scolecophidia.
It has been hypothesized that this duplicate control region
may be an example of stable, functional redundancy in animal
mtDNA. The functionality of the duplicate region in the replication
process has yet to be demonstrated. The NADH dehydrogenase subunit
1 gene is located next to the duplicate control region has a
high nucleotide variability between snake species due to mutations
that may occur during replication while the NADH 1 gene is single
stranded, and this factor makes it difficult to amplify and
sequence. But if the region from the NADH 1 subunit gene through
the LQM fragment, which directly surround the duplicate control
region, can be successfully amplified and sequenced the results
could possibly demonstrate the redundant control region to be
indeed functional in the replication of the mitochondrial genome.
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