Sequence Variations and Phylogeny Relationships Among Seven River Nile Teleosti Species from Qena, Egypt Based on Mitochondrial 16S Rrna Gene Sequences

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Molecular Biology, Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt

Abstract

The amplified PCR products from mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene were sequenced for seven River Nile teleost species. The obtained sequences ranged in size from 557 (Clarias gariepinus) to 602 (Bagrus bajad) nucleotides. Nucleic acid base composition of the 16S rRNA gene sequences were found to be comparable to other vertebrates having higher AT content relative to GC content. The 16S rRNA sequences have variable regions flanked by six conserved stretches, which could be useful for phylogenetic studies. Results indicated the close genetic relations among the studied actinopterygian River Nile fish species, which are likely to share a common ancestor. These new sequence data could be beneficial for effective fish management, conservation and aquaculture purposes. The value in generating sequence data from other family representatives of River Nile telesot species using the 16S rRNA gene primers developed here could provide a useful contribution to future fish phylogenetic and evolutionary studies of fish in this region

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