title: Molecular phylogenetics of the four Schistosoma species groups determined with partial 28S ribosomal RNA gene sequences.
abstract: Partial 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences, including the variable domains D1, D2 and D3, were determined for representative species from the 4 Schistosoma species groups. On an alignment of 1345 bp from S. mansoni, S. haematobium, S. spindale and S. japonicum (with Heterobilharzia americana chosen as an outgroup), both maximum likelihood and maximum parsimony analyses provide a robust molecular phylogeny for the genus; ((((S. haematobium, S. spindale), S. mansoni), S. japonicum), H. americana). When analysed separately, both domain D1 and domain D2 yielded similarly informative data whereas D3 failed to resolve the phylogeny. These results confirm a phylogeny previously suggested by 18S rRNA gene sequences, corroborating the status of S. spindale as a sister taxon to S. haematobium, and demonstrate the utility of 28S rRNA gene sequence data for resolving phylogenies within the Schistosomatidae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, King's College London.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Littlewood
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011336:Probability; D018510:RNA, Helminth / Q000235:genetics*; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012339:RNA, Ribosomal, 28S / Q000235:genetics*; D012547:Schistosoma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012548:Schistosoma haematobium / Q000235:genetics; D012549:Schistosoma japonicum / Q000235:genetics; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D018510:RNA, Helminth; D016053:RNA, Protozoan; D012339:RNA, Ribosomal, 28S