The unusually long small subunit ribosomal RNA gene found in amitochondriate amoeboflagellate Pelomyxa palustris: its rRNA predicted secondary structure and phylogenetic implication

Abstract

In order to ascertain a phylogenetic position of the freshwater amitochondriate amoeboflagellate Pelomyxa palustris its small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced. It was shown to be 3502 bp long. The predicted secondary structure of its rRNA includes at least 16 separate expansion zones located in all the variable regions (V1–V9), as well as in some conservative gene regions. Most insertions are represented by sequences of low complexity that have presumably arisen by a slippage mechanism. Relatively conservative, uniformly positioned motifs contained in regions V4 and V7, as well as in some others, made it possible to perform folding. In maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and neighbor-joining trees, P. palustris tends to cluster with amitochondriate and secondary lost mitochondria amoebae and amoeboflagellates Entamoeba, Endolimax nana, and Phreatamoeba balamuthi, comprising together with them and aerobic lobose amoebae Vannella, Acanthamoeba, Balamuthia, and Hartmannella a monophyletic cluster. Another pelobiont, Mastigamoeba invertens, does not belong to this cluster. No specific similarity was discovered between the SSU rRNA of P. palustris and amitochondriate taxa of ‘Archezoa’: Diplomonada, Parabasalia, Microsporidia. Pelomyxa palustris SSU rRNA does not occupy a basal position in the phylogenetic trees and could be ascribed to the so-called eukaryotic ‘crown’ group if the composition of the latter were not so sensitive to the methods of tree building. Thus, molecular and morphological data suggest that P. palustris represents a secondarily modified eukaryotic lineage.