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- Title
Length and Sequence Heterogeneity in the Mitochondrial Internal Transcribed Spacer of Acanthamoeba spp.
- Authors
LEDEE, DOLENA R.; BYERS, THOMAS J.
- Abstract
The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) between the mitochondrial large (23S rRNA; rnl) and small (16S rRNA; rns) subunit ribosomal RNA genes of Acanthamoeba castellanii strain Neff was sequenced previously and was uniquely interesting because it contained tRNA genes with acceptor stem mismatches that underwent RNA editing repair. Our interest in this ITS region was to determine its phylogenetic potential in differentiating between closely related isolates. We analyzed the mitochondrial ITS region for 17 Acanthamoeba isolates and observed extensive sequence and length variability, making this region difficult to align. Acanthamoeba griffini strain S-7 had the shortest ITS (i.e. 559 base pairs [bp]) compared with Acanthamoeba palestinensis strain Reich, which had the longest (i.e. 1,360 bp). The length disparity occurred predominantly between the spacer region of the aspartic acid ( trnD) and methionine ( trnM) tRNA genes. Unexpectedly, this region in A. palestinensis Reich was found to contain a duplication of the trnM gene. Additionally, like A. castellanii strain Neff, all isolates examined had tRNAs with mismatches in their acceptor stem. Also, the potential for an additional type of editing not described previously for Acanthamoeba, involving purine to pyrimidine transversions was observed.
- Subjects
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA; MITOCHONDRIA; ACANTHAMOEBA; ACANTHAMOEBIDAE; ORGANELLES
- Publication
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 2009, Vol 56, Issue 3, p257
- ISSN
1066-5234
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1550-7408.2009.00400.x