On the Mutation Rates of the Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes of Salmonid Fishes

Mutation rates of the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of salmonid fishes were assessed on the basis of a phylogenetic study of 12 species representing four genera of the family Salmonidae. Analysis of the extent of divergence of the masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou and the Pacific trout Parasalmo suggests a high rate of mtDNA mutation in the masu salmon. However, the nuclear genome in this species has mutated relatively slowly. For the other 5 species of Pacific salmon, no discrepancy was found in the mutation rates of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. Values of the absolute time of divergence of taxa, calculated for the two independently inherited parts of the salmonid genome, were approximately within the same range and coincided with those based on evolutionary hypotheses 1, 21].