A mitochondrial intron in a verongid sponge.
We discovered for the first time a mitochondrial intron in a non-tetillid demosponge, which sheds new light on the interpretation of mitochondrial intron evolution among non-bilaterian animals and has consequences for phylogenetic and DNA barcoding studies. The newly discovered class 1 intron of Aplysinella rhax (Verongida) CO1 has an ORF for a putative LAGLIDADG-type and resembles other sponge and cnidarian mitochondrial introns. Our analysis of the Aplysinella rhax intron underlines that the patchy distribution of introns in sponges is caused by a combination of horizontal and vertical transmission. Further implications for CO1 phylogenetic and barcoding projects are discussed.
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences & GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Richard-Wagner Str. 10, 80333, Munich, Germany, erpenbeck@lmu.de.
Dirk
D
Erpenbeck
Ratih
R
Aryasari
John N A
JN
Hooper
Gert
G
Wörheide
D000818:Animals; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011161:Porifera / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*