Xiangyun Wu

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genomes of five Eimeria species from domestic chickens.

Chicken coccidiosis caused by members of the genus Eimeria causes significant economic losses worldwide. In the present study we sequenced the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of six Eimeria species and analyzed features of their gene contents and genome organizations. The complete mt genomes of E. acervulina, E. brunetti, E. maxima, E. necatrix, E. tenella and E. praecox were 6179bp, 6148bp, 6169bp, 6214bp, 6213bp and 6174bp in size, respectively. All of the mt genomes consist of 3 genes for proteins (cox1, cox3, and cytb), 12 gene fragments for the large subunit (LSU) rRNA, and 7 gene fragments for the small subunit (SSU) rRNA, but no transfer RNA genes. The organization of the mt genomes is similar to that of Plasmodium, but distinct from Babesia and Theileria. The putative direction of translation for 3 genes (cox1, cox3, and cytb) was the same in all six Eimeria species. The contents of A+T of the mt genomes were 65.35% for E. acervulina, 65.43% for E. brunetti, 64.53% for E. maxima, 65.04% for E. necatrix, 64.98% for E. tenella and 65.59% for E. praecox. The AT bias has a significant effect on both the codon usage pattern and amino acid composition of proteins. Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated nucleotide sequences of the 2 protein-coding genes (cytb and cox1), with three different computational algorithms (Bayesian analysis, maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood), all revealed distinct groups with high statistical support, indicating that the six Eimeria spp. represent six distinct but closely-related species. These data provide novel mtDNA markers for studying the molecular epidemiology and population genetics of the six Eimeria spp., and should have implications for the molecular diagnosis, prevention and control of coccidiosis in domestic chickens.

Comparison of seven Crassostrea mitogenomes and phylogenetic analyses.

[Wu, Xiangyun; Xu, Xiaodong; Yu, Ziniu; Xia, Jianjun] Chinese Acad Sci, S China Sea Inst Oceanol, Key Lab Marine Bioresource Sustainable Utilizat, Guangzhou 510301, Guangdong, Peoples R China; [Wei, Zhenpeng] Shandong Marine Food Nutr Res Inst, Rongcheng 264309, Shandong, Peoples R China

Comparative mitogenomic analyses of three scallops (Bivalvia: Pectinidae) reveal high level variation of genomic organization and a diversity of transfer RNA gene sets

BackgroundIt can be seen from the available mollusk mitogenomes that the family Pectinidae exhibits the most variation in genome organization. In this study, comparative mitogenomic analyses were performed for three scallops from the subfamily Chlamydinae (Pectinidae), with the goal of characterizing the degree of variability of mitogenome organization and other characteristics among species from the same subfamily and exploring their possible evolution route.FindingsThe complete or nearly complete mtDNA sequences of scallop Mimachlamys nobilis (17 935 bp), Mizuhopecten yessoensis (20 964 bp) and Chlamys farreri (17 035 bp) were determined using long PCR amplification and primer walking sequencing strategy. Highly variable size difference of the three genomes resulted primarily from length and number variations of non-coding regions, and the major difference in gene content of the three scallop species are due to varying tRNA gene sets. Only 21, 16, and 17 tRNA genes were detected in the mitogenomes of M. nobilis, M. yessoensis and C. farreri, respectively. Remarkably, no trnS gene could be identified in any of the three scallops. A newly-detected trnA-like sequence within the mitogenome of M. yessoensis seems to exemplify the functional loss of a tRNA gene, and the duplication of trnD in M. yessoensis raises a fundamental question of whether the retention of the tRNA gene copy of 2-tRNAs is easier than that of 4-tRNAs. Analysis of putative evolutionary pathways of gene rearrangement indicates that transposition of neighboring gene blocks may play an important role in the evolution of mitogenomes in scallops. Parsimonious analysis of the genomic variations implies that the mitogenomes of M. yessoensis and C. farreri are likely to derive independently from a common ancestor that was closely related to M. nobilis.ConclusionComparative mitogenomic analyses among three species from the subfamily Chlamydinae show that the three genomes exhibit a high level of genomic variation and a diversity of tRNA gene sets, characterized by extensive translocation of genes. These features provide useful clues and information for evolutionary analysis of scallop mitogenomes.

Oesophagostomum dentatum and Oesophagostomum quadrispinulatum: Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome sequences of the two pig nodule worms

In the present study, the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of the pig nodule worm Oesophagostomum quadrispinulatum were determined for the first time, and the mt genome of Oesophagostomum dentatum from China was also sequenced for comparative analysis of their gene contents and genome organizations. The mtDNA sequences of O. dentatum China isolate and O. quadrispinulatum were 13,752 and 13,681 bp in size, respectively. Each of the two mt genomes comprises 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNA genes, but lacks the ATP synthetase subunit 8 gene. All genes are transcribed in the same direction and have a nucleotide composition high in A and T. The contents of A+T are 75.79% and 77.52% for the mt genomes of O. dentatum and O. quadrispinulatum, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated amino acid sequences of the 12 protein-coding genes, with three different computational algorithms (maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference), all revealed that O. dentatum and O. quadrispinulatum represent distinct but closely-related species. These data provide novel and useful markers for studying the systematics, population genetics and molecular diagnosis of the two pig nodule worms.

Genetic diversity and substantial population differentiation in Crassostrea hongkongensis revealed by mitochondrial DNA

The Hong Kong oyster, Crassostrea hongkongensis, is an important fisheries resource that is cultivated in the coastal waters of the South China Sea. Despite significant advances in understanding biological and taxonomic aspects of this species, no detailed study of its population genetic diversity in regions of extensive cultivation are available. Direct sequencing of the mtDNA cox1 gene region was used to investigate genetic variation within and between eleven C. hongkongensis populations collected from typical habitats. Sixty-two haplotypes were identified; only haplotype 2 (21.74% of total haplotypes) was shared among all the eleven populations, and most of the observed haplotypes were restricted to individual populations. Both AMOVA and FST analyses revealed significant population structure, and the isolation by distance (IBD) was confirmed. The highest local differentiation was observed between the sample pools from Guangxi versus Guangdong and Fujian, which are separated by a geographic barrier, the Leizhou Peninsula. Current knowledge from seed management suggests that seed transfer from Guangxi province has likely reduced the divergence that somewhat naturally exists between these pools. The findings from the present study could be useful for genetic management and may serve as a baseline by which to monitor future changes in genetic diversity, either due to natural or anthropogenic impacts.

The mitochondrial genome of Polylabris halichoeres (Monogenea: Microcotylidae)

This study presents the complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Polylabris halichoeres, which is the largest mt genome sequenced of monogeneans so far and the second complete sequence after Microcotyle sebastis from the Microcotylidae. It is basically similar to that of M. sebastis, with the exception of a high level of gene rearrangement located between trnC and trnL(UUR), a translocation of trnM and trnH, as well as a highly repetitive region (HRR) in the large non-coding region (NCR). We also find a series of trnI pseudogenes (ΨI) and one unknown short open reading frame (ORF) in the large NCR. Although the ORF cannot be unambiguously regarded as an atp8 gene, we cannot rule out the possibility that it has other functional importance, but it need further study in the future.

Electrophoretic detection of genetic variability among Schistosoma japonicum isolates by sequence-related amplified polymorphism

In the present study, sequence‐related amplification polymorphism (SRAP) was utilized to study the genetic variability among Schistosoma japonicum isolates from different provinces in China, using Schistosoma mansoni from Puerto Rico for comparison. Five out of ten tested SRAP primer combinations displayed significant polymorphisms among S. japonicum isolates from China, namely ME2/EM1, ME4/EM1, ME4/EM6, ME5/EM4 and ME5/EM5. Analysis of the 61 S. japonicum samples from China with five SRAP primer combinations identified a total of 83 reproducible polymorphic fragments. The number of fragments using each primer combination ranged from 14 to 19, with an average of 16 polymorphic bands per primer pair, and the size of fragment ranged approximately from 100 to 1000 bp. Representative‐specific SRAP fragments were excised from the gels, and confirmed by PCR amplification of genomic DNA using primers designed and based on the sequences of these SRAP fragments. Based on SRAP profiles, unweighted pair‐group method with arithmetic averages (UPGMA) dendrogram was constructed. UPGMA clustering algorithm categorized S. japonicum isolates from China into nine clades and two lineages (representing the mountainous and lake/marshland regions). These results indicate the usefulness of the SRAP technique for revealing genetic variability among S. japonicum isolates from China, and the SRAP technique should be applicable to other living organisms.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the Asian green mussel Perna viridis (Bivalvia, Mytilidae)

The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the Asian green mussel Perna viridis (16,627 bp), an economically important bivalve, was newly sequenced and annotated. P. viridis is the shortest and has a comparatively highest overall A+T content (68%) among six available genomes of marine mussels to date. The atp8 genes length (49 a.a.) of the green mussel is unexpectedly greatly shorter than that of other marine mussels (87 a.a.). Comparison of the gene order demonstrated that the six marine mussels share no identical gene blocks although they belong to the same family, which indicates that this group should be a good model to study mtDNA evolution and mitochondria inheritance.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Tetrancistrum nebulosi (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae)

Abstract The first complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of Ancyrocephalidae is reported herein. The mt genome of Tetrancistrum nebulosi was 13,392 bp in length containing 12 protein-coding genes (lacking atp8), 22 tRNA genes and 2 rRNA genes. The longest non-coding region was located between nad5 and trnG, and the A + T content was 72.4%. All tRNAs had the typical clover-leaf secondary structure except for trnS1(AGN), trnR, trnF and trnQ. The rrnL and rrnS subunits were separated by trnC, as documented in the monopisthocotylean groups (Benedenia and Gyrodactylus species), while they were adjacent to each other in the polyopisthocotylean species (Microcotyle sebastis, Polylabris halichoeres and Pseudochauhanea macrorchis).

The mitochondrial genome of the scallop Mimachlamys senatoria (Bivalvia, Pectinidae).

Abstract The mitochondrial (mt) genome of the scallop Mimachlamys senatoria (17,383 bp), an economically and ecologically important bivalve, was newly sequenced and annotated. Comparative analyses between M. senatoria and its congeneric sister species M. nobilis revealed three new findings: (1) M. senatoria is more prone to use G-rich start/stop codon, and variation in start/stop codon usage is species-correlated rather than gene-correlated, and in some extent, bears useful phylogenetic information; (2) The A + T content is unexpectedly low (54.1%) in MNR and that is unexpectedly high (65.4%) in atp8 in both congeneric scallops, which may represent a novel evolutionary pattern of mt genomic nucleotide composition; and (3) The tRNA gene cluster “NGV” locating upstream of the nad1 in M. senatoria is replaced by “NTGV” in M. nobilis, and a parsimonious explanation for the existence of trnT in M. nobilis is that this gene was derived from a recently duplicated trnG gene via an alloacceptor tRNA gene recruitment process.