Could pseudogenes be widespread in ants? Evidence of numts in the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex striatus (Roger, 1863) (Formicidae: Attini).
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Date
2014
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Abstract
The incorporation of fragments of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in the nuclear genome,
known as numts (nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes), undermines general assumptions
concerning the use of mtDNA in phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies. Accidental
amplifications of these nuclear copies instead of the mitochondrial target can lead to
crucial misinterpretations, thus the correct identification of numts and their differentiation
from true mitochondrial sequences are important in preventing this kind of error. Our goal
was to describe the existence of cytochrome b (cytb) numts in the leafcutter ant
Acromyrmex striatus (Roger, 1863). PCR products were directly sequenced using a pair of
universal primers designed to amplify the cytb gene of these insects. Other species of
leafcutter ants were also sequenced. The sequences were analyzed and the numts were
identified by the presence of double peaks, indels and premature stop codons. Only
A. striatus clearly showed the presence of numts, while the other species displayed the
expected amplification of the mtDNA cytb gene target using the same primer pair. We hope
that our report will highlight the benefits and challenges of using mtDNA in the molecular
phylogenetic reconstruction and phylogeographic studies of ants, while establishing the
importance of numts reports for future studies.
Description
Keywords
Insects molecular evolution, Nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes, Leafcutter ants, Phylogeny
Citation
CRISTIANO, M. P.; CARSOSO, D. C.; SALOMÃO, T. M. F. Could pseudogenes be widespread in ants? Evidence of numts in the leafcutter ant Acromyrmex striatus (Roger, 1863) (Formicidae: Attini). Comptes Rendus. Biologies, v. 337, p. 78-85, 2014. Disponível em: <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631069113002758>. Acesso em: 20 de jul. 2017.