ArticlePloS one2026
Evolutionary patterns of the mitochondrial control region in vertebrates: A large-scale comparative analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The mitochondrial control region (CR) is the largest non-coding region in the vertebrate mitogenome and contains essential elements for replication and transcription. Despite its functional relevance, its evolutionary dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed 5,235 complete vertebrate CRs spanning 11 classes to investigate how conserved sequences blocks (CSBs) and Extended Termination-Associated sequences (ETAS) shaped CR evolution. We hypothesized that CR length is positively associated with repeat accumulation, with tetrapods exhibiting longer and more complex CRs than fishes, while core elements remain conserved. Our analyses revealed marked inter- and intra-class variability, with longer CRs in tetrapods (1,283.27 ± 489.6 bp) than in fishes (969.25 ± 239.5 bp). Duplication events were restricted to tetrapods, especially birds and reptiles. Nucleotide composition was heterogeneous among orders, and structural divergence of CSBs was inferred across lineages. Repetitive elements were present in ~43% of CRs, with their abundance strongly correlated with CR length. Importantly, longer CRs were associated with higher GC content and greater variation in copy number of ETAS and CSBs. These results demonstrate that mitogenome CR expansion in vertebrates is largely driven by repeat proliferation, whereas key motifs required for replication and transcription are retained. We further identify lineage-specific trends, including pronounced CR elongation in amphibians and reptiles, contrasted with progressive reduction and simplification in birds and mammals. Our study provides the first comprehensive comparative framework of vertebrate CR evolution, highlighting how repetitive elements, conserved motifs, and nucleotide composition jointly contribute to both functional regulation and lineage-specific diversification.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.