Evaluation of intra- and interspecific divergence of satellite DNA sequences by nucleotide frequency calculation and pairwise sequence comparison

• Main Author: Kato Mikio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2003-01-01
• Series: Biological Procedures Online
• Subjects: DNA, satellite; evolution, molecular; phylogeny
• Online Access: http://www.biologicalprocedures.com/bpo/arts/1/47/m47.htm

<p>Satellite DNA sequences are known to be highly variable and to have been subjected to concerted evolution that homogenizes member sequences within species. We have analyzed the mode of evolution of satellite DNA sequences in four fishes from the genus <it>Diplodus</it> by calculating the nucleotide frequency of the sequence array and the phylogenetic distances between member sequences. Calculation of nucleotide frequency and pairwise sequence comparison enabled us to characterize the divergence among member sequences in this satellite DNA family. The results suggest that the evolutionary rate of satellite DNA in <it>D. bellottii</it> is about two-fold greater than the average of the other three fishes, and that the sequence homogenization event occurred in<it> D. puntazzo </it>more recently than in the others. The procedures described here are effective to characterize mode of evolution of satellite DNA.