A complete mitochondrial DNA molecule of the white-handed gibbon, Hylobates lar, and comparison among individual mitochondrial genes of all hominoid genera

Abstract

The sequence of the complete mitochondrial genome of the white-handed gibbon, Hylobates lar, was determined. The length of the molecule is 16,472 nucleotides and its composition (L-strand) in percent: A = 30.6; C = 31.8; G = 13.7; T = 23.9. The start codon of the NADH2 gene is presumably ATT (isoleucine). Four genes are not terminated by complete stop codons. The 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes and the 12S and 16S rRNA genes of the gibbon (family Hylobatidae) were compared with the same genes of the family Hominidae (great apes and Homo). The comparison showed that the evolutionary rate of individual genes could vary considerably in different evolutionary lineages. Notably, the comparison showed that the rate of the NADH6 and NADH4L genes of the gibbon is much faster than that of the other hominoids. Also, the evolution of the NADH4L gene is considerably faster in Pongo (orangutan) than in Gorilla, Pan (chimpanzee), and Homo.