Open AccessCharacterization of the first mitochondrial genome of a catenulid flatworm: Stenostomum leucops (Platyhelminthes)
Author(s) -
Rosa Marcos Trindade,
Oliveira Daniel S.,
Loreto Elgion L.S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.769
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1439-0469
pISSN - 0947-5745
DOI - 10.1111/jzs.12164
Subject(s) - biology , flatworm , mitochondrial dna , genetics , gene , genome , evolutionary biology , zoology
The first complete mitochondrial genome of a catenulid, Stenostomum leucops, was characterized. Illumina sequencing and 90 813 reads were utilized in the assembly, producing one contig with an average coverage of 1118×. The length of this genome is 15 742 bp with 12 protein‐coding, two rRNA and 22 tRNA genes. Although the atp8 gene is absent in other Platyhelminthes, a highly divergent putative atp8 gene was found in S. leucops . In contrast to other Platyhelminthes, the mitochondrial genes of S. leucops are encoded on both strands. The gene order in the S. leucops mitogenome is very divergent from those observed in other Platyhelminthes, showing only small blocks of synteny. With AAA as the codon for lysine S. leucops shows the probable plesiomorphic condition, whereas Rhabditophora possess the derived GAA . This evolutionary transition is correlated with changes in the respective anticodons in trn K. It remains unclear whether the absence of the D arm and loop in trn S1 is a convergence in Catenulida and Neodermata.