title: [Analysis of the primary and secondary structure of the mitochondrial serine transfer RNA in seven species of Lutzomyia].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  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 tRNA Ser for taxonomic identification of Lutzomyia.
  
  
  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 tRNA Ser gene, flanked by the cytochrome b and NAD dehydrogenase subunit one genes, was extracted, amplified and sequenced from each specimen. Secondary structure of the tRNA Ser was predicted by comparisons with previously described homologous structures from other dipteran species.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tRNA Ser 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes of primary sequence of the tRNASer provided useful molecular characters for taxonomic identification of the sand fly species under consideration.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad de Sucre, Sincelejo, Colombia.
authors.forename: Rafael José
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Vivero
authors.forename: Maria Angélica
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Contreras-Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Eduar Elías
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Bejarano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D007303:Insect Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011576:Psychodidae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D000077278:RNA, Mitochondrial; D012362:RNA, Transfer, Ser / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D000077278:RNA, Mitochondrial; D012362:RNA, Transfer, Ser; D012313:RNA