Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes of Angiostrongylus cantonen-sis / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare the diversity of mitochondrial genomes of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the mainland of China. Methods According to the population genetic of A. cantonensis,seven female worms were selected to characterize the mi-tochondrial(MT)genomes. Twelve primer pairs based on known MT genome(GQ398121)were used for PCR. The target frag-ments were sequenced and aligned. The gene localization,genome structure,composition of nucleotide,distribution of variable sites,and phylogeny were analyzed by employing multiple softwares. Results Five distinct types were identified from seven com-plete MT genomes. They were similar in size and structure,i.e.,ranging 13 491-13 502 bp,including 12 protein-coding genes,2 ribosomal genes,22 tRNA genes,and 2 major non-coding regions. All the genes were localized at the same strand and had the same transcription direction. A total of 745 variable sites were identified,accounting for 5.5%. Among the variable sites,59 were deletion/insert mutations,105 transversions,and 581 transitions. The variable sites distributed evenly at the complete genome. Conclusion The study reveals the mutation profile in the whole MT genome of A. cantonensis and thus will facilitate the develop-ment of intraspecific differential diagnosis.