The model barnacle Balanus balanus Linnaeus, 1758 (Crustacea: Maxillopoda: Sessilia) mitochondrial genome and gene rearrangements within the family Balanidae

Abstract

Balanus balanus Linnaeus, 1758, the model organism in the order Sessilia (Crustacea: Maxillopoda) is a cold water acorn barnacle in the family Balanidae distributing over the entire northern hemisphere. We present complete mitochondrial genome of this barnacle and analyze mitochondrial genomic characters of the family Balanidae. The length of mitochondrial genome is 15,955 bp, which is larger than those of the other barnacles in the same family. An inversion of a six-gene block (trnPro- nad4L- nad4- trnHis- nad5- trnPhe) is found between B. balanus and two Megabalanus (M. ajax and M. volcano). Three types of mitochondrial gene arrangements revealed in Balanidae have indicated the non-conserved gene orders even at intrafamilial level. Compared to pancrustacean ground pattern, large-scale gene rearrangements are found in B. balanus. Translocations of at least six tRNAs (trnAla, trnGlu/trnSer(AGY), trnPro/trnThr, trnLys, trnGln and trnCys) are identified and translocation and inversion occurred simultaneously in one tRNAs (trnTyr).

• Balanidae
• Balanus balanus
• crustacea
• gene rearrangements
• mitochondrial genome

Acknowledgements

We thank Ling Ming Tsang and Benny Kwok Kan Chan for sample collection and identification.

Declaration of interest

This work was sponsored by Internal Research Grant of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (RG70/2013−2014), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2012M510054 and 2012T50218), the Hong Kong Scholars Program (XJ2012056), and a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development (PAPD) of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions. The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.