Molecules and Cells

Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology (한국분자세포생물학회)
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Partial Mitochondrial Gene Arrangements Support a Close Relationship between Tardigrada and Arthropoda

  • Ryu, Shi Hyun (Department of Biology, Teachers College, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Lee, Ji Min (Department of Biology, Teachers College, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Jang, Kuem-Hee (Department of Biology, Teachers College, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Choi, Eun Hwa (Department of Biology, Teachers College, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Park, Shin Ju (Department of Biology, Teachers College, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Chang, Cheon Young (Department of Biology, College of Natural Sciences, Daegu University) ;
  • Kim, Won (School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University) ;
  • Hwang, Ui Wook (Department of Biology, Teachers College, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2007.04.24
  • Accepted : 2007.07.16
  • Published : 2007.12.31
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Abstract

Regions (about 3.7-3.8 kb) of the mitochondrial genomes (rrnL-cox1) of two tardigrades, a heterotardigrade, Batillipes pennaki, and a eutardigrade, Pseudobiotus spinifer, were sequenced and characterized. The gene order in Batillipes was $\underline{rrnL}-\underline{V}-\underline{rrnS}-\underline{Q}-\underline{I}$-M-nad2-W-$\underline{C}-\underline{Y}$-cox1, and in Pseudobiotus it was $\underline{rrnL}-\underline{V}-\underline{rrnS}-\underline{Q}$-M-nad2-W-$\underline{C}-\underline{Y}$-cox1. With the exception of the trnI gene, the two tardigrade regions have the same gene content and order. Their gene orders are strikingly similar to that of the chelicerate Limulus polyphemus (rrnL-V-rrnS-CR-I-Q-M-nad2-W-C-Y-cox1), which is considered to be ancestral for arthropods. Although the tardigrades do not have a distinct control region (CR) within this segment, the trnI gene in Pseudobiotus is located between rrnL-trnL1 and trnL2-nad1, and the trnI gene in Batillipes is located between trnQ and trnM. In addition, the 106-bp region between trnQ and trnM in Batillipes not only contains two plausible trnI genes with opposite orientations, but also exhibits some CR-like characteristics. The mitochondrial gene arrangements of 183 other protostomes were compared. 60 (52.2%) of the 115 arthropods examined have the M-nad2-W-C-Y-cox1 arrangement, and 88 (76.5%) the M-nad2-W arrangement, as found in the tardigrades. In contrast, no such arrangement was seen in the 70 non-arthropod protostomes studied. These are the first non-sequence molecular data that support the close relationship of tardigrades and arthropods.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Supported by : Korea Research Foundation

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