title: Mitochondrial genome evolution and tRNA truncation in Acariformes mites: new evidence from eriophyoid mites.
abstract: The subclass Acari (mites and ticks) comprises two super-orders: Acariformes and Parasitiformes. Most species of the Parasitiformes known retained the ancestral pattern of mitochondrial (mt) gene arrangement of arthropods, and their mt tRNAs have the typical cloverleaf structure. All of the species of the Acariformes known, however, have rearranged mt genomes and truncated mt tRNAs. We sequenced the mt genomes of two species of Eriophyoidea: Phyllocoptes taishanensis and Epitrimerus sabinae. The mt genomes of P. taishanensis and E. sabinae are 13,475 bp and 13,531 bp, respectively, are circular and contain the 37 genes typical of animals; most mt tRNAs are highly truncated in both mites. On the other hand, these two eriophyoid mites have the least rearranged mt genomes seen in the Acariformes. Comparison between eriophyoid mites and other Aacariformes mites showed that: 1) the most recent common ancestor of Acariformes mites retained the ancestral pattern of mt gene arrangement of arthropods with slight modifications; 2) truncation of tRNAs for cysteine, phenylalanine and histidine occurred once in the most recent common ancestor of Acariformes mites whereas truncation of other tRNAs occurred multiple times; and 3) the placement of eriophyoid mites in the order Trombidiformes needs to be reviewed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.|GeneCology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4556, Australia.
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yue
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: GeneCology Research Centre, Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4556, Australia.
authors.forename: Renfu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005075:Biological Evolution; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial; D023281:Genomics; D008925:Mites / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010802:Phylogeny; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012343:RNA, Transfer