title: Sequence and secondary structure of the mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA gene of Ixodes scapularis.
abstract: The complete DNA sequences and secondary structure of the mitochondrial (mt) 16S ribosomal (r) RNA gene were determined for six Ixodes scapularis adults. There were 44 variable nucleotide positions in the 1252 bp sequence alignment. Most (95%) nucleotide alterations did not affect the integrity of the secondary structure of the gene because they either occurred at unpaired positions or represented compensatory changes that maintained the base pairing in helices. A large proportion (75%) of the intraspecific variation in DNA sequence occurred within Domains I, II and VI of the 16S gene. Therefore, several regions within this gene may be highly informative for studies of the population genetics and phylogeography of I. scapularis, a major vector of pathogens of humans and domestic animals in North America.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5EZ, Canada.
authors.forename: Chantel N
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Krakowetz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5EZ, Canada. Electronic address: neil.chilton@usask.ca.
authors.forename: Neil B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Chilton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018884:Ixodes / Q000235:genetics*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D058974:Phylogeography; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D000077278:RNA, Mitochondrial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA
chemical_list: D000077278:RNA, Mitochondrial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012313:RNA
keywords: 16S rRNA gene; Blacklegged ticks; Genetic variation; Ixodes scapularis; Mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal RNA gene; Secondary structure