Abstract
BackgroundLimited available sequence information has greatly impeded population genetics, phylogenetics and systematics studies in the subclass Acari (mites and ticks). Mitochondrial (mt) DNA is well known to provide genetic markers for investigations in these areas, but complete mt genomic data have been lacking for many Acari species. Herein, we present the complete mt genome of the scab mite Psoroptes cuniculi.MethodsP. cuniculi was collected from a naturally infected New Zealand white rabbit from China and identified by morphological criteria. The complete mt genome of P. cuniculi was amplified by PCR and then sequenced. The relationships of this scab mite with selected members of the Acari were assessed by phylogenetic analysis of concatenated amino acid sequence datasets by Bayesian inference (BI), maximum likelihood (ML) and maximum parsimony (MP).ResultsThis mt genome (14,247 bp) is circular and consists of 37 genes, including 13 genes for proteins, 22 genes for tRNA, 2 genes for rRNA. The gene arrangement in mt genome of P. cuniculi is the same as those of Dermatophagoides farinae (Pyroglyphidae) and Aleuroglyphus ovatus (Acaridae), but distinct from those of Steganacarus magnus (Steganacaridae) and Panonychus citri (Tetranychidae). Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated amino acid sequences of 12 protein-coding genes, with three different computational algorithms (BI, ML and MP), showed the division of subclass Acari into two superorders, supported the monophylies of the both superorders Parasitiformes and Acariformes; and the three orders Ixodida and Mesostigmata and Astigmata, but rejected the monophyly of the order Prostigmata.ConclusionsThe mt genome of P. cuniculi represents the first mt genome of any member of the family Psoroptidae. Analysis of mt genome sequences in the present study has provided new insights into the phylogenetic relationships among several major lineages of Acari species.
Highlights
Limited available sequence information has greatly impeded population genetics, phylogenetics and systematics studies in the subclass Acari
The metazoan mitochondrial genome possess a circular double strand DNA that varies in size from 15 to 20 kb, generally encoding for 36–37 genes: 12–13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNAs genes and 22 transfer RNAs [1,2]
Except for four PCGs and seven transfer RNAs (tRNA) genes encoded on the minority strand (N-strand), all other genes were encoded on the majority strand (J-strand) (Figure 1)
Summary
Limited available sequence information has greatly impeded population genetics, phylogenetics and systematics studies in the subclass Acari (mites and ticks). Many species of ticks and mites threaten the health of plants, animals and humans on a global scale, causing major economic losses and significant public health problems [12,13]. Despite their abundance, medical, veterinary and economic significance, the genetics, epidemiology, biology and phylogenetic relationships in this group remain poorly understood. Burger et al [18] showed that Metastriate + Prostriate are sister to Ornithodorinae based on nuclear rDNA and mt gene sequences. The phylogenetic relationships inferred from nuclear and mt sequences need to be retested with more taxa from a wide range of lineages
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