FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Parasit Vectors / Variation in mitochondrial minichromosome composition betwee...
Parasites & vectors2014; 7; 144; doi: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-144

Variation in mitochondrial minichromosome composition between blood-sucking lice of the genus Haematopinus that infest horses and pigs.

Abstract: The genus Haematopinus contains 21 species of blood-sucking lice, parasitizing both even-toed ungulates (pigs, cattle, buffalo, antelopes, camels and deer) and odd-toed ungulates (horses, donkeys and zebras). The mitochondrial genomes of the domestic pig louse, Haematopinus suis, and the wild pig louse, Haematopinus apri, have been sequenced recently; both lice have fragmented mitochondrial genomes with 37 genes on nine minichromosomes. To understand whether the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes and the gene content and gene arrangement of each minichromosome are stable within the genus, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of the horse louse, Haematopinus asini. Methods: We used a PCR-based strategy to amplify four mitochondrial minichromosomes in near full-length, and then amplify the entire coding regions of all of the nine mitochondrial minichromosomes of the horse louse. These amplicons were sequenced with an Illumina Hiseq platform. Results: We identified all of the 37 mitochondrial genes typical of bilateral animals in the horse louse, Haematopinus asini; these genes are on nine circular minichromosomes. Each minichromosome is 3.5-5.0 kb in size and consists of a coding region and a non-coding region except R-nad4L-rrnS-C minichromosome, which contains two coding regions and two non-coding regions. Six of the nine minichromosomes of the horse louse have their counterparts in the pig lice with the same gene content and gene arrangement. However, the gene content and arrangement of the other three minichromosomes of the horse louse, including R-nad4L-rrnS-C, are different from that of the other three minichromosomes of the pig lice. Conclusions: Comparison between the horse louse and the pig lice revealed variation in the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes within the genus Haematopinus, which can be accounted for by gene translocation events between minichromosomes. The current study indicates that inter-minichromosome recombination plays a major role in generating the variation in the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes and provides novel insights into the evolution of fragmented mitochondrial genomes in the blood-sucking lice.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2014-03-31 PubMed ID: 24690192PubMed Central: PMC4022054DOI: 10.1186/1756-3305-7-144Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research explores the variation in the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes in lice from the genus Haematopinus that infest horses and pigs. The researchers performed a sequence analysis of the mitochondrial genome of the horse louse, Haematopinus asini, to compare it with previous data from pig lice. They found that gene translocation events account for differences in minichromosome composition.

Research Background

  • The study focuses on blood-sucking lice of the genus Haematopinus, a group that infests various ungulates including pigs, cattle, horses, and others.
  • Prior research had sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of the Haematopinus lice that infest domestic and wild pigs. These studies found these genomes to be fragmented, hosted on nine minichromosomes.
  • This study aimed to determine if this composition and gene arrangement is constant within the genus Haematopinus by sequencing the mitochondrial genome of the horse louse, Haematopinus asini.

Research Methodology

  • The mitochondrial DNA of the horse louse was sequenced using a PCR-based amplification strategy. This involved the amplification of four mitochondrial minichromosomes in near full length, followed by the amplification of the entire coding regions of all nine mitochondrial minichromosomes of the horse louse.
  • The amplified sequences were then sequenced using the Illumina Hiseq platform.

Results

  • The researchers successfully identified all 37 mitochondrial genes, typical of bilateral animals, present in the horse louse.
  • The genes were hosted on nine circular minichromosomes, each varying in size from 3.5 to 5.0 kilobase pairs. Each minichromosome consisted mostly of one coding region and one non-coding region, with an exception of one minichromosome.
  • Comparing these findings with the previously sequenced pig lice, they found that six out of the nine minichromosomes in the horse louse had their counterparts in pig lice. The positioning and content of these genes were preserved in both groups.
  • However, the remaining three minichromosomes of the horse louse showed differences in gene content and arrangement when compared to pig lice.

Conclusion

  • There is variation in the composition of mitochondrial minichromosomes across different species within the Haematopinus genus, as demonstrated by examining the genomes of horse and pig lice.
  • This difference can be explained by gene translocation events between minichromosomes, which suggest inter-minichromosome recombination plays a significant role in the evolution of fragmented mitochondrial genomes in these parasites.

Cite This Article

APA
Song SD, Barker SC, Shao R. (2014). Variation in mitochondrial minichromosome composition between blood-sucking lice of the genus Haematopinus that infest horses and pigs. Parasit Vectors, 7, 144. https://doi.org/10.1186/1756-3305-7-144

Publication

Parasites & vectors
ISSN: 1756-3305
NlmUniqueID: 101462774
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 7
Pages: 144

Researcher Affiliations

Song, Simon D
  • GeneCology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4556, Australia. ssong1@usc.edu.au.
Barker, Stephen C
    Shao, Renfu

      MeSH Terms

      • Animals
      • Anoplura / classification
      • Anoplura / genetics
      • Genome, Mitochondrial
      • Horse Diseases / parasitology
      • Horses
      • Lice Infestations / parasitology
      • Lice Infestations / veterinary
      • Mitochondria / genetics
      • Species Specificity
      • Swine
      • Swine Diseases / parasitology

      References

      This article includes 33 references
      1. Durden LA, Musser GG. The sucking lice (Insecta, Anoplura) of the world: a taxonomic checklist with records of mammalian hosts and geographical distributions.. Bull Am Mus Nat Hist 1994;218:1–90.
      2. Meleney WP, Kim KC. A comparative study of cattle-infesting Haematopinus, with redescription of H. quadripertusus Fahrenholz, 1916 (Anoplura: Haematopinidae). J Parasitol 1974;60:507–522.
        doi: 10.2307/3278373pubmed: 4857799google scholar: lookup
      3. Barker SC. Phylogeny and classification, origins, and evolution of host associations of lice.. Int J Parasitol 1994;8:1285–1291.
        pubmed: 7729981
      4. Scofield A, Campos KF, Silva AMM, Oliveira CHS, Barbosa JD, Góes-Cavalcante G. Infestation by Haematopinus quadripertusus on cattle in São Domingos do Capim, state of Pará, Brazil.. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet Revista 2012;21:315–318.
        doi: 10.1590/S1984-29612012000300027pubmed: 23070449google scholar: lookup
      5. Seifert HSH. Tropical Animal Health.. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers; 1996. p. 572.
      6. Wall R, Shearer D. Lice (Phthiraptera). In: Veterinary Ectoparasites: Biology, Pathology and Control. 2. Wall R, Shearer D, editor. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science Ltd; 2008. pp. 162–178.
      7. Penrith ML, Vosloo W. Review of African swine fever: transmission, spread and control.. Oorsigartikel 2009;80:58–62.
        pubmed: 19831264
      8. Thibault S, Drolet R, Alain R, Dea S. A sporadic skin disorder in nursing piglets.. Swine Health Prod 1998;6:276–278.
      9. Agbede RIS. A survey of ectoparasites and parasitic conditions of animals in Zaria.. Nigerian J Anim Prod Res 1981;1:179–180.
      10. Portiansky EL, Auiroga MA, Machuca MA, Perfumo CJ. Mycoplasma suis in naturally infected pigs: an ultrastructural and morphometric study.. Pesquisa Vet Brasil 2004;24:1–5.
        doi: 10.1590/S0100-736X2004000100002google scholar: lookup
      11. Da-Silva A, Lopes L, Diaz J, Tonin A, Stefani L, Araújo D. Lice outbreak in buffaloes: Evidence of Anaplasma marginale transmission by sucking lice Haematopinus tuberculatus.. J Parasitol 2013;99:546–547.
        doi: 10.1645/GE-3260.1pubmed: 23050728google scholar: lookup
      12. Boore J. Animal mitochondrial genomes.. Nucleic Acids Res 1999;27:1767–1870.
        doi: 10.1093/nar/27.8.1767pmc: PMC148383pubmed: 10101183google scholar: lookup
      13. Lavrow D. Key transitions in animal evolution: a mitochondrial DNA perspective.. Integr Comp Biol 2007;47:734–743.
        doi: 10.1093/icb/icm045pubmed: 21669754google scholar: lookup
      14. Shao R, Kirkness EF, Barker SC. The single mitochondrial chromosome typical of animals has evolved into 18 minichromosomes in the human body louse, Pediculus humanus.. Genome Res 2009;19:904–912.
        doi: 10.1101/gr.083188.108pmc: PMC2675979pubmed: 19336451google scholar: lookup
      15. Jiang H, Barker SC, Shao R. Substantial variation in the extent of mitochondrial genome fragmentation among blood-sucking lice of mammals.. Genome Biol Evol 2013;5:1298–1308.
        doi: 10.1093/gbe/evt094pmc: PMC3730346pubmed: 23781098google scholar: lookup
      16. Shao R, Zhu XQ, Barker SC, Herd K. Evolution of extensively fragmented mitochondrial genomes in the lice of humans.. Genome Biol Evol 2012;4:1088–1101.
        doi: 10.1093/gbe/evs088pmc: PMC3514963pubmed: 23042553google scholar: lookup
      17. Kittler R, Kayser M, Stoneking M. Molecular evolution of Pediculus humanus and the origin of clothing.. Curr Biol 2004;13:1414-1417.
        pubmed: 12932325
      18. Kittler R, Kayser M, Stoneking M. Molecular evolution of Pediculus humanus and the origin of clothing (Erratum). Curr Biol 2004;14:2309.
        doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.12.024pubmed: 12932325google scholar: lookup
      19. Giuffra D, Kijas JMH, Amarger V, Carlborg O, Jeon JT, Andersson L. The origin of the domestic pig: independent domestication and subsequent introgression.. Genetics 2000;154:1785–1791.
        pmc: PMC1461048pubmed: 10747069
      20. Durden LA, Musser GG. The mammalian hosts of the sucking lice (Anoplura) of the world: a host-parasite list.. Bull Soc Vector Ecol 1994;19:130–168.
      21. Larkin MA, Blackshields G, Brown NP, Chenna R, McGettigan PA, McWilliam H, Valentin F, Wallace IM, Wilm A, Lopez R, Thompson JD, Gibson TJ, Higgins DG. Clustal W and Clustal X version 2.0.. Bioinformatics 2007;23:2947–2948.
        doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btm404pubmed: 17846036google scholar: lookup
      22. Lowe TM, Eddy SR. tRNAscan-SE: A program for improved detection of transfer RNA genes in genomic sequence.. Nucleic Acids Res 1997;25:955–964.
        doi: 10.1093/nar/25.5.0955pmc: PMC146525pubmed: 9023104google scholar: lookup
      23. Laslett D, Canbäck B. ARWEN, a program to detect tRNA genes in metazoan mitochondrial nucleotide sequences.. Bioinformatics 2008;24:172–175.
        doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btm573pubmed: 18033792google scholar: lookup
      24. McGinnis S, Madden TL. BLAST: At the core of a powerful and diverse set of sequence analysis tools.. Nucleic Acids Res 2004;32:W20–W25.
        doi: 10.1093/nar/gkh435pmc: PMC441573pubmed: 15215342google scholar: lookup
      25. Zheng Z, Schaffer AA, Miller W, Madden TL, Lipman DJ, Koonin EV, Altschul SF. Protein sequence similarity searches using patterns as seeds.. Nucleic Acids Res 1998;26:3986–3990.
        doi: 10.1093/nar/26.17.3986pmc: PMC147803pubmed: 9705509google scholar: lookup
      26. Rice P, Longden I, Bleasby A. EMBOSS: the European molecular open software suite.. Trends in Genet 2000;16:276–277.
        doi: 10.1016/S0168-9525(00)02024-2pubmed: 10827456google scholar: lookup
      27. Light JE, Smith VS, Allen JM, Durden LA, Reed DL. Evolutionary history of mammalian sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura). BMC Evol Biol 2010;10:292.
        doi: 10.1186/1471-2148-10-292pmc: PMC2949877pubmed: 20860811google scholar: lookup
      28. Cornelis G, Heidmann O, Degrelle SA, Vernochet C, Lavialle C, Letzelter C, Bernard-Stoecklin S, Hassanin A, Mulot B, Guillomot M, Hue I, Heidmann T, Dupressoir A. Captured retroviral envelope syncytin gene associated with the unique placental structure of higher ruminants.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013;110:E828–E837.
        doi: 10.1073/pnas.1215787110pmc: PMC3587263pubmed: 23401540google scholar: lookup
      29. Murphy WJ, Pringle TH, Crider TA, Springer MS, Miller W. Using genomic data to unravel the root of the placental mammal phylogeny.. Genome Res 2007;17:413–421.
        doi: 10.1101/gr.5918807pmc: PMC1832088pubmed: 17322288google scholar: lookup
      30. Novacek MJ. The radiation of placental mammals. In: Major Features of Vertebrate Evolution. Prothero DR, Schock RM, editor. Knoxville: Paleontological Society Short Courses in Paleontology and University of Tennessee Press; 1994. pp. 220–237.
      31. Dong WG, Song S, Jin DC, Guo XG, Shao R. 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.. BMC Genomics 2014;15:44.
        doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-44pmc: PMC3901344pubmed: 24438034google scholar: lookup
      32. Wolstenholme DR. Genetic novelties in mitochondrial genomes of multicellular animals.. Curr Opin Genet Dev 1992;2:919–925.
        pubmed: 1282405
      33. Shao R, Barker SC. Chimeric mitochondrial minichromosomes of the human body louse, Pediculus humanus: Evidence for homologous and non-homologous recombination.. Gene 2011;473:36–43.
        doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2010.11.002pubmed: 21092752google scholar: lookup
      Subscribe to our newsletter
      Join 99,344 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.