Analysis of the primary and secondary structure of the mitochondrial serine transfer RNA in seven species of Lutzomyia

Rafael José Vivero, Maria Angélica Contreras-Gutiérrez, Eduar Elías Bejarano, .

Keywords: Psychodidae/classification, RNA transfer/genetics, mitochondria, DNA, leishmaniasis

Abstract

Introduction. Lutzomyia sand flies are involved in the transmission of the parasite Leishmania spp. in America. The taxonomy of these vectors is traditionally based on morphological features of the adult stage, particularly the paired structures of the head and genitalia. Although these characters are useful to distinguish most species of Lutzomyia, morphological identification may be complicated by the similarities within subgenera and species group.
Objective. To evaluate the utility of mitochondrial serine transfer RNA tRNASer for taxonomic identification of Lutzomyia.
Materials and methods. Seven sand fly species, each representing one of the 27 taxonomic subdivisions in genus Lutzomyia, were analyzed including L. trinidadensis (Oswaldoi group), L. (Psychodopygus) panamensis, L.(Micropygomyia) cayennensis cayennensis, L. dubitans (Migonei group), L. (Lutzomyia) gomezi, L. rangeliana (ungrouped) and L. evansi (Verrucarum group). The mitochondrial tRNASer gene, flanked by the cytochrome b and NAD dehydrogenase subunit one genes, was extracted, amplified and sequenced from each specimen. Secondary structure of the tRNASer was predicted by comparisons with previously described homologous structures from other dipteran species.
Results. The tRNASer gene ranged in size from 66 base pairs in L. gomezi to 69 base pairs in L.
trinidadensis. Fourteen polymorphic sites, including four insertion-deletion events, were observed in the aligned 70 nucleotide positions. The majority of the substitutions were located in the dihydrouridine, ribothymidine-pseudouridine-cytosine and variable loops, as well as in the basal extreme of the anticodon arm.
Conclusion. Changes of primary sequence of the tRNASer provided useful molecular characters for taxonomic identification of the sand fly species under consideration.

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  • Rafael José Vivero Grupo de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia.
  • Maria Angélica Contreras-Gutiérrez Grupo de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia.
  • Eduar Elías Bejarano Grupo de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia.

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How to Cite
1.
Vivero RJ, Contreras-Gutiérrez MA, Bejarano EE. Analysis of the primary and secondary structure of the mitochondrial serine transfer RNA in seven species of Lutzomyia. biomedica [Internet]. 2007 Sep. 1 [cited 2024 May 18];27(3):429-38. Available from: https://revistabiomedica.org/index.php/biomedica/article/view/205

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