Abstract
The complete mitochondrial genome of Epinephelus bleekeri was first presented in this study. It is 17,227 bp in length, consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a non-coding control region. The overall base composition of the H-strand is 26.32% A, 28.65% T, 28.72% G and 16.31% C. With the exception of ND6 and eight tRNA genes, all other mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand. In particular, gene duplication is found on the tRNA-Asp gene, and five tandem repeat of this gene in E. bleekeri is different from most other vertebrates. The control region is rich in A + T (67.12%) and poor in G (14.00%), and tandem repeat sequences are observed in this non-coding region, indicating a useful marker for population genetic studies.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.
This work is supported by the National 863 Program of China (No. 2012AA10A407), the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in Public Interest (No. 200903046) and the Guangdong Provincial Oceanic and Fishery Administration Fund (A2011001).