Submission Type
Poster
Abstract
Analysis of gene sequences from three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes for a broad sampling of actiniarian taxa proposed a novel grouping of the families Aliciidae, Boloceroididae, and Gonactiniidae. (Rodríguez et al., 2014). Although previously unlinked, the association of these taxa was credible given the consistency of the genetic data and the shared occurrence of anatomical traits, including complex column structures (Aliciidae and Boloceroididae), tentacular sphincters (Boloceroididae and Gonactiniidae), and retention of juvenile musculature in adults (Boloceroididae and Gonactiniidae). Although the mitochondrial genome structure of actiniarians is generally conserved, complete mitochondrial genomes identify unusual gene orders (Alicia sansibarensis: Foox et al. 2016) and genome structures (Protanthea simplex: Dubin et al. 2019) within this clade. The structure in P. simplex is especially unusual – a pair of circular genomes rather than a single circular genome. We have reconstructed a complete mitochondrial genome for the aliciid Lebrunia danae from transcriptomic data to understand mitochondrial genome diversity and evolution within this clade. Like its confamilial A. sansibarensis, L. danae has a mitochondrial gene order that deviates from typical actiniarians. We also present preliminary evidence that the sister species to P. simplex, Gonactinia prolifera, also possesses a deviant mitochondrial genome. These findings suggest that the mitochondrial genome of members of this clade are evolving in ways unlike those of other anemones, which adds nuance to the recent grouping of these lineages into a clade. These results add to a growing picture of complexity in cnidarian mitochondrial genomes.
Included in
Evolution Commons, Genomics Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Zoology Commons
Anomalies in the mitochondrial genomes of members of Aliciidae, Boloceroididae, and Gonactiniidae (Actiniaria:Metridioidea)
Analysis of gene sequences from three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes for a broad sampling of actiniarian taxa proposed a novel grouping of the families Aliciidae, Boloceroididae, and Gonactiniidae. (Rodríguez et al., 2014). Although previously unlinked, the association of these taxa was credible given the consistency of the genetic data and the shared occurrence of anatomical traits, including complex column structures (Aliciidae and Boloceroididae), tentacular sphincters (Boloceroididae and Gonactiniidae), and retention of juvenile musculature in adults (Boloceroididae and Gonactiniidae). Although the mitochondrial genome structure of actiniarians is generally conserved, complete mitochondrial genomes identify unusual gene orders (Alicia sansibarensis: Foox et al. 2016) and genome structures (Protanthea simplex: Dubin et al. 2019) within this clade. The structure in P. simplex is especially unusual – a pair of circular genomes rather than a single circular genome. We have reconstructed a complete mitochondrial genome for the aliciid Lebrunia danae from transcriptomic data to understand mitochondrial genome diversity and evolution within this clade. Like its confamilial A. sansibarensis, L. danae has a mitochondrial gene order that deviates from typical actiniarians. We also present preliminary evidence that the sister species to P. simplex, Gonactinia prolifera, also possesses a deviant mitochondrial genome. These findings suggest that the mitochondrial genome of members of this clade are evolving in ways unlike those of other anemones, which adds nuance to the recent grouping of these lineages into a clade. These results add to a growing picture of complexity in cnidarian mitochondrial genomes.
Comments
Michael Broe1, Marymegan Daly1
1The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio