Open AccessPhylogenetic analysis of RNA editing: a primitive genetic phenomenon.
Author(s) -
Laura F. Landweber,
Walter Gilbert
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.91.3.918
Subject(s) - rna editing , biology , crithidia fasciculata , genetics , phylogenetic tree , ribosomal rna , rna , trypanosoma brucei , phylogenetics , ribosome , gene , evolutionary biology , protozoa
RNA editing by extensive uridine addition and deletion creates over 90% of the amino acid codons in the cytochrome-c oxidase subunit III (COIII) transcript in Trypanosoma brucei and Herpetomonas, whereas editing of the COIII transcripts in Leishmania tarentolae and Crithidia fasciculata generates only 6% of the amino acid codons and is limited to the 5' ends. Is extensive RNA editing a primitive or derived character? We constructed a phylogenetic tree based on nuclear small-subunit and mitochondrial large- and small-subunit ribosomal RNA sequences for nine species of kinetoplastid protozoa. Our results suggest that extensive editing is a primitive genetic phenomenon that has disappeared in recent evolutionary time and also that there have been multiple losses of the digenetic lifestyle by loss of the vertebrate host in parasite evolution.