Next generation sequencing yields the complete mitogenome of Smith's zokor (Eospalax smithii)

Abstract

Sequencing analysis of mitochondrial genomes is useful for understanding the genome structures. In this study, complete mitochondrial genomes of the Eospalax smithii was obtained by using next generation sequencing method. The complete mitogenome of E. smithii was 16,350 bp long, containing 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and 1 non-coding control region (D-loop). The overall base composition of the heavy strand is A (33.65%), C (23.80%), T (30.31%), and G (12.24%). The base compositions present highly biased toward A + T nucleotides. The result of phylogenetic analysis showed the five Eospalax species formed a monophyly with the high bootstrap value and as a sister group of the genus Myospalax. This is the first report of the complete mitochondrial genomes of E. smithii and the mitogenome is potentially important for evolutionary biology, population genetics, and species diagnosis studies of the Mysopalacinae.

Keywords: Eospalax smithii; Smith’s zokor; mitochondrial genome; next generation sequencing.