Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of ayu Plecoglossus altivelis

We determined the complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome for ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis. Two large DNA fragments covering the entir e genome were amplified using a long polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techni que, and the products subsequently used as templates for PCR with 57 fish-v ersatile and five species-specific primers that amplify contiguous, overlap ping segments of the entire genome. Direct sequencing of the PCR products d emonstrated that the genome (16 537 bp) contained the same 37 mitochondrial genes (two ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNA, and 13 protein-coding genes) as those found in other vertebrates, with the gene order identical to that in typical vertebrates. A major non-coding region between the tRNA(Pro) and t RNA(Phe) genes (857 bp) was considered to be the control region (D-loop), a s it has several conservative blocks that are characteristic to this region .