Molecular identification of Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) haemoparasites in Podarcis muralis lizards from northern Italy and detection of conserved motifs in the 18S rRNA gene

Author: Simona Panelli, Marianna Bassi and Enrica Capelli

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Abstract

This study applies a non-invasive molecular test on common wall lizards (Podarcis muralis) collected in Northern Italy in order to i) identify protozoan blood parasites using primers targeting a portion of haemogregarine 18S rRNA; ii) perform a detailed bioinformatic and phylogenetic analysis of amplicons in a context where sequence analyses data are very scarce. Indeed the corresponding phylum (Apicomplexa) remains the poorest-studied animal group in spite of its significance for reptile ecology and evolution. A single genus, i.e., Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) and an identical infecting genotype were identified in all positive hosts. Bioinformatic analyses identified highly conserved sequence patterns, some of which known to be involved in the host-parasite cross-talk. Phylogenetic analyses evidenced a limited host specificity, in accord with existing data. This paper provides the first Hepatozoon sequence from P. muralis and one of the few insights into t

Keywords

haemoparasites, lizards, Hepatozoon, Podarcis spp., bioinformatics, conserved sequence motifs, untranslated regions.

Conclusion

The present analysis provides one of the few available insights into the molecular parasitology, sequence analysis and phylogenetic characterization of protozoan blood parasites of P. muralis. Our data report the presence, in a ribosomal gene, of putative regulatory motifs active on the regulation of gene expression and conserved across large phylogenetic distances. This is in line with emerging data on: (i) other parasitic protozoan species (Plasmodium, Tritrichomonas) and their interplay with host physiological traits, known to occur through also the same conserved regulatory motifs identified in our analysis; (ii) the presence, in eukaryotic ribosomal genes, of mRNA regulation elements as part of interactions rRNA-mRNA for regulating gene expression at the level of protein synthesis.

References

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How to cite this article

Simona Panelli, Marianna Bassi and Enrica Capelli (2016). Molecular identification of Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina) haemoparasites in Podarcis muralis lizards from northern Italy and detection of conserved motifs in the 18S rRNA gene ,