Many unique characteristics revealed by the complete mitochondrial genome of the scorpion Tityus serrulatus (Lutz e Mello 1922) (Chelicerata; Arachnida)

Abstract

This is the first complete mitochondrial genome of a Tityus species, although it is the most medically important genus in South America. Tityus serrulatus (Brazilian yellow scorpion) mtDNA revealed the same gene arrangement of three out of four other mitogenomes published by now for the same family (Centruroides limpidus, Mesobuthus gibbosus, M. martensii and Buthus occitanus). However, it presented many unique characteristics such as possession of Cox1 gene, different from all other protein-coding genes of scorpion mtDNA, starts with an atypical start codon (CTG). Moreover, no tRNA gene have complete typical secondary structure and the Tytius genome presented three non-coding regions longer than 100bp. Also, it contains the smallest scorpion 16S gene reported by now. Phylogenetic analysis using concatenated homologous genes confirmed Buthidae as a monophyletic clade and supports a monophyletic group including T. serrulatus and the other American species, C. limpidus.

• Atypical tRNA
• mitochondrion
• mtDNA
• next-generation sequencing
• scorpion

Acknowledgements

We thank the PDTIS technological platform of FIOCRUZ for genomic sequencing.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. This study was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – CAPES (Edital Toxinologia 63/2010), by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais – FAPEMIG (Edital 10/2014; BPD-00653-14) and by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (Edital Universal MCTI/CNPq No. 14/2014).