REU: Mammalian Systematics and Mitochondrial Gene Sequences

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The patterns and processes of mammalian mitochondrial gene evolution at the nucleotide sequence level will be investigated. The primary focus of this research will be on the rate of sequence change in the cytochrome c oxidase subunit II (COII) gene encoded in the mitochondrion. This particular gene interacts directly with the nuclear cytochrome c gene. The COII gene varies in the amount of amino acid substitutions that have occurred in particular mammalian groups, and this observation is pronounced in comparisons of rodents versus primates. The primary strategy of this research is to amplify DNA fragments containing the COII gene using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the sequencing of amplified single stranded DNA. This procedure will be used to evaluate the mode and tempo of COII gene change in rodents, primates, and related mammalian orders. These data will provide direct information on the extent of differential rates of change in this gene, the coevolution of genes encoded by the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, and the evolutionary relationships among and within particular mammalian groups.