Identification, genetic variation, and structural analysis of 18S rRNA of Theileria orientalis and Theileria velifera-like isolates from Myanmar

Saw Bawm; Rumi Sagara; Keita Kakisaka; May June Thu; Myint Myint Hmoon; Lat Lat Htun; Mar Mar Win; Nariaki Nonaka; Ryo Nakao; Hitoshi Suzuki; Ken Katakura

doi:10.1016/j.parint.2021.102299

Identification, genetic variation, and structural analysis of 18S rRNA of Theileria orientalis and Theileria velifera-like isolates from Myanmar

Parasitol Int. 2021 Jun:82:102299. doi: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102299. Epub 2021 Feb 2.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary Science, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw 15013, Myanmar; Department of International Relations and Information Technology, University of Veterinary Science, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw 15013, Myanmar.
² Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
³ Department of Pharmacology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary Science, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw 15013, Myanmar.
⁴ Rector office, University of Veterinary Science, Yezin, Nay Pyi Taw, 15013, Myanmar.
⁵ Laboratory of Ecology and Genetics, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan.
⁶ Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan. Electronic address: kenkata@vetmed.hokudai.ac.jp.

PMID: 33540120
DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2021.102299

Abstract

Ribosomal RNA genes have been widely used for the identification and phylogenetic analysis of various organisms, including parasitic protozoa. Here, we report nine near full-length Theileria orientalis 18S rRNA gene sequences from cattle from different areas of Myanmar. Phylogenetic analysis of the 18S rRNA genes revealed a considerably close genetic relationship among T. orientalis isolates from Australia, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, and Pakistan. We also obtained four Theileria velifera-like (Theileria cf. velifera) 18S rRNA gene sequences from two cattle and two water buffaloes from the northernmost area of Myanmar. The phylogenetic analysis of T. cf. velifera isolates from Myanmar along with T. velifera and T. cf. velifera isolates from African countries suggested an evolutionary lineage of greater complexity in T. velifera-related parasites. DNA alignment analysis indicated the presence of 51 and 55 nucleotide variation positions within the 18S rRNA genes from 15 T. orientalis and 11 T. velifera-related isolates, respectively. Alignment entropy analysis of the 18S rRNA sequences indicated that both T. orientalis and T. velifera-related isolates had three hyper variable regions, corresponding to V2, V4, and V7 regions in eukaryotes. The degree of variation was prominent in the V2 in T. orientalis and V4 in T. velifera-related isolates. The secondary structure analysis of the 18S rRNA predicted using minimum free energy algorism revealed that the structure of V4 region differed most significantly between T. orientalis and T. velifera. These results provide novel insights into common structures, variations and functions of small subunit rRNA in Theileria species.

Keywords: 18S rRNA; Genetic variation; Myanmar; Secondary structure; Theileria orientalis; Theileria velifera.

MeSH terms

Amino Acid Sequence
Animals
Base Sequence
Buffaloes*
Cattle
Cattle Diseases / parasitology*
Genetic Variation*
Myanmar
Phylogeny
RNA, Protozoan / analysis
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / chemistry
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / genetics*
Sequence Alignment
Theileria
Theileriasis / parasitology*

Substances

RNA, Protozoan
RNA, Ribosomal, 18S