Fragmented Mitochondrial Genomes of the Rat Lice, Polyplax Asiatica and Polyplax Spinulosa: Intra-genus Variation in Fragmentation Pattern and a Possible Link Between the Extent of Fragmentation and the Length of Life Cycle

Overview

Journal BMC Genomics

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Genetics

Date 2014 Jan 21

PMID 24438034

Citations 26

Authors

Wen-Ge Dong

Simon Song

Dao-Chao Jin

Xian-Guo Guo

Renfu Shao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Blood-sucking lice (suborder Anoplura) parasitize eutherian mammals with 67% of the 540 described species found on rodents. The five species of blood-sucking lice that infest humans and pigs have fragmented mitochondrial genomes and differ substantially in the extent of fragmentation. To understand whether, or not, any life-history factors are linked to such variation, we sequenced the mt genomes of Polyplax asiatica and Polyplax spinulosa, collected from the greater bandicoot rat, Bandicota indica, and the Asian house rat, Rattus tanezumi, respectively.

Results: We identified all of the 37 mitochondrial genes common to animals in Polyplax asiatica and Polyplax spinulosa. The mitochondrial genes of these two rat lice are on 11 circular minichromosomes; each minichromosome is 2-4 kb long and has 2-7 genes. The two rat lice share the same pattern for the distribution of the protein-coding genes and ribosomal RNA genes over the minichromosomes, but differ in the pattern for the distribution of 8 of the 22 transfer RNA genes. The mitochondrial genomes of the Polyplax rat lice have 3.4 genes, on average, on each minichromosome and, thus, are less fragmented than those of the human lice (2.1 and 2.4 genes per minichromosome), but are more fragmented than those of the pig lice (4.1 genes per minichromosome).

Conclusions: Our results revealed distinct patterns of mitochondrial genome fragmentation within the genus Polyplax and, furthermore, indicated a possible inverse link between the extent of mitochondrial genome fragmentation and the length of life cycle of the blood-sucking lice.

Citing Articles

The fragmented mitochondrial genomes of two lice reveal active minichromosomal recombination and recombination hotspots.

Fu Y, Shao R, Suleman , Wang W, Wang H, Liu G iScience. 2023; 26(8):107351.

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Characterization of the fragmented mitochondrial genome of domestic pig louse Haematopinus suis (Insecta: Haematopinidae) from China.

Li R, Nie Y, Fu Y, Deng Y, Wang W, Ma P Syst Parasitol. 2023; 100(5):571-578.

PMID: 37382800 DOI: 10.1007/s11230-023-10106-3.

Mitochondrial Genome Fragmentation Occurred Multiple Times Independently in Bird Lice of the Families Menoponidae and Laemobothriidae.

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A Novel Mitochondrial Genome Fragmentation Pattern in the Buffalo Louse (Psocodea: Haematopinidae).

Fu Y, Suleman , Yao C, Wang H, Wang W, Liu G Int J Mol Sci. 2022; 23(21).

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Independent evolution of highly variable, fragmented mitogenomes of parasitic lice.

Sweet A, Johnson K, Cameron S Commun Biol. 2022; 5(1):677.

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