• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.37-39
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• 2000

Testis-specific protein Y(TSPY) is thought to play an important role during spermatogenesis in primates. The Arg and Lys-rich region of TSPY was implicated as a potential DNA binding site in the human and Japanese monkey. In the study, we investigated this further through looking at the putative amino acid sequences of Arg and Lys-rich region of TSPY gene from seven species of gibbons, five species of Old World monkeys and five species of New World monkeys. A comparison with those of the human and Japanese monkey revealed that the Arg and Lys-rich motif was hightly conserved in various primates. This finding suggests that a possible role for the Arg and Lys-rich motif in primate TSPY is DNA recognition. The functional implications for TSPY are discussed in the light of this and previous findings.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.429-441
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• 2009

We have determined the complete mitochondrial genome of the yellow-spotted long horned beetle, Psacothea hilaris (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), an endangered insect species in Korea. The 15,856-bp long P. hilaris mitogenome harbors gene content typical of the animal mitogenome and a gene arrangement identical to the most common type found in insect mitogenomes. As with all other sequenced coleopteran species, the 5-bp long TAGTA motif was also detected in the intergenic space sequence located between $tRNA^{Ser}$(UCN) and ND1 of P. hilaris. The 1,190-bp long non-coding A+T-rich region harbors an unusual series of seven identical repeat sequences of 57-bp in length and several stretches of sequences with the potential to form stem-and-loop structures. Furthermore, it contains one $tRNA^{Arg}$-like sequence and one $tRNA^{Lys}$-like sequence. Phylogenetic analysis among available coleopteran mitogenomes using the concatenated amino acid sequences of PCGs appear to support the sister group relationship of the suborder Polyphaga to all remaining suborders, including Adephaga, Myxophaga, and Archostemata. Among the two available infraorders in Polyphaga, a monophyletic Cucujiformia was confirmed, with the placement of Cleroidea as the basal lineage for Cucujiformia. On the other hand, the infraorder Elateriformia was not identified as monophyletic, thereby indicating that Scirtoidea and Buprestoidea are the basal lineages for Cucujiformia and the remaining Elateriformia.