title: Complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta: gene arrangements indicate that Platyhelminths are Eutrochozoans.
abstract: Using "long-PCR," we amplified in overlapping fragments the complete mitochondrial genome of the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta (Platyhelminthes: Cestoda) and determined its 13,900-nt sequence. The gene content is the same as that typically found for animal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) except that atp8 appears to be lacking, a condition found previously for several other animals. Despite the small size of this mtDNA, there are two large noncoding regions, one of which contains 13 repeats of a 31-nt sequence and a potential stem-loop structure of 25 bp with an 11-member loop. Large potential secondary structures were identified also for the noncoding regions of two other cestode mtDNAS: Comparison of the mitochondrial gene arrangement of H. diminuta with those previously published supports a phylogenetic position of flatworms as members of the Eutrochozoa, rather than placing them basal to either a clade of protostomes or a clade of coelomates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Michigan, USA. laforge@rz.hu-berlin.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Nickisch-Rosenegk
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Boore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002589:Cestoda; D018389:Codon, Nonsense / Q000235:genetics; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D023061:Gene Order / Q000235:genetics; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D006926:Hymenolepis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D010986:Platyhelminths / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D012343:RNA, Transfer