cDNA-derived amino acid sequences of myoglobins from nine species of whales and dolphins

Abstract

We determined the myoglobin (Mb) cDNA sequences of nine cetaceans, of which six are the first reports of Mb sequences: sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis), Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni), pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps), Stejneger's beaked whale (Mesoplodon stejnegeri), Longman's beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus), and melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra), and three confirm the previously determined chemical amino acid sequences: sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata). We found two types of Mb in the skeletal muscle of pantropical spotted dolphin: Mb I with the same amino acid sequence as that deposited in the protein database, and Mb II, which differs at two amino acid residues compared with Mb I. Using an alignment of the amino acid or cDNA sequences of cetacean Mb, we constructed a phylogenetic tree by the NJ method. Clustering of cetacean Mb amino acid and cDNA sequences essentially follows the classical taxonomy of cetaceans, suggesting that Mb sequence data is valid for classification of cetaceans at least to the family level.