Gray Michael W, Lang B Franz, Burger Gertraud
Robert Cedergren Center, Program in Evolutionary Biology, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Canada.
Annu Rev Genet. 2004;38:477-524. doi: 10.1146/annurev.genet.37.110801.142526.
Over the past several decades, our knowledge of the origin and evolution of mitochondria has been greatly advanced by determination of complete mitochondrial genome sequences. Among the most informative mitochondrial genomes have been those of protists (primarily unicellular eukaryotes), some of which harbor the most gene-rich and most eubacteria-like mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs) known. Comparison of mtDNA sequence data has provided insights into the radically diverse trends in mitochondrial genome evolution exhibited by different phylogenetically coherent groupings of eukaryotes, and has allowed us to pinpoint specific protist relatives of the multicellular eukaryotic lineages (animals, plants, and fungi). This comparative genomics approach has also revealed unique and fascinating aspects of mitochondrial gene expression, highlighting the mitochondrion as an evolutionary playground par excellence.
在过去几十年里，通过测定完整的线粒体基因组序列，我们对线粒体的起源和进化的了解有了很大进展。其中最具信息价值的线粒体基因组是原生生物（主要是单细胞真核生物）的基因组，其中一些含有已知的基因最丰富且最类似真细菌的线粒体DNA（mtDNA）。mtDNA序列数据的比较为我们提供了对不同系统发育连贯的真核生物群体所展现出的线粒体基因组进化中截然不同趋势的见解，并使我们能够确定多细胞真核生物谱系（动物、植物和真菌）的特定原生生物亲属。这种比较基因组学方法还揭示了线粒体基因表达的独特而迷人的方面，突出了线粒体是一个卓越的进化场所。
