Understanding the adaptive evolution of mitochondrial genomes in intertidal chitons

Abstract

Mitochondria are the centre of energy metabolism in eukaryotic cells and its genes are thus key to the evolution of molecular mechanisms that metabolize cellular energy. Intertidal zone is one of the most stressful environments with extreme shifts in temperature, salinity, pH and oxygen concentrations. Marine molluscs, particularly chitons belong to the ecologically dominant organisms in this extreme environment, symbolizing an ideal model to understand mitochondrial stress adaptation. Here, we used concatenated mitochondrial genetic components separately from seven chitons of the intertidal zone to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among these species. We performed selection analyses considering sites and branches of individual protein-coding genes to identify potentially adaptive residues and localize them in the protein structures of mt subunits. Our results exhibited significant amino acid changes in sites under diversifying selection of all the protein-coding genes, indicative of the adaptive evolution of mitochondrial genome in chitons. Furthermore, we obtained sites in the transmembrane helices lining the proton translocation channel as well as in surrounding loop regions, providing implication towards functional modification of the OXPHOS proteins essential for survival in dynamic environment of the intertidal zone.