title: Evolution of the RNase P RNA structural domain in Leptospira spp.
abstract: We have employed the RNase P RNA (RPR) gene, which is present as single copy in chromosome I of Leptospira spp. to investigate the phylogeny of structural domains present in the RNA subunit of the tRNA processing enzyme, RNase P. RPR gene sequences of 150 strains derived from NCBI database along with sequences determined from 8 reference strains were examined to fathom strain specific structural differences present in leptospiral RPR. Sequence variations in the RPR gene impacted on the configuration of loops, stems and bulges found in the RPR highlighting species and strain specific structural motifs. In vitro transcribed leptospiral RPR ribozymes are demonstrated to process pre-tRNA into mature tRNA in consonance with the positioning of Leptospira in the taxonomic domain of bacteria. RPR sequence datasets used to construct a phylogenetic tree exemplified the segregation of strains into their respective lineages with a (re)speciation of strain SH 9 to Leptospira borgpetersenii, strains Fiocruz LV 3954 and Fiocruz LV 4135 to Leptospira santarosai, strain CBC 613 to Leptospira kirschneri and strain HAI 1536 to Leptospira noguchii. Furthermore, it allowed characterization of an isolate P2653, presumptively characterized as either serovar Hebdomadis, Kremastos or Longnan to Leptospira weilii, serovar Longnan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: rvigneswaran9490@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Vigneshwaran
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravishankar
authors.affiliation: WHO/FAO/OIE, National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, KIT Biomedical Research, Meibergdreef 39, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: a.ahmed@kit.nl.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: ulags.iitm@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ulaganathan
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sivagnanam
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: krish_raja0@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Krishnaraja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muthuraman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: anbu4biotech@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anbarasu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karthikaichamy
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: heraldwilson89@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Herald A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: dajayneo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Devendran
authors.affiliation: WHO/FAO/OIE, National Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Leptospirosis, KIT Biomedical Research, Meibergdreef 39, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: r.hartskeerl@kit.nl.
authors.forename: Rudy A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Hartskeerl
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Mepco Schlenk Engineering College, Sivakasi 626005, Tamilnadu, India. Electronic address: stephenraj@mepcoeng.ac.in.
authors.forename: Stephen M L
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Raj
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D007919:Leptospira / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010802:Phylogeny; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D043262:Ribonuclease P / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D043262:Ribonuclease P
keywords: Leptospira; Phylogeny; RNase P RNA; Ribozyme