Comparative analysis of the circadian rhythm genes period and timeless in Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758 (Diptera, Culicidae)

By

Shaikevich, E
Karan, Ludmila S.
Fedorova, Marina

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2016

Original Publication

Comparative cytogenetics : international journal of plant & animal cytogenetics, karyosystematics and molecular systematics

Volume

10

Series / Issue

Issue: 4

Pages

483-504

Subjects

circadian rhythm genes , Culex pipiens , Natural selection , Period , timeless

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

St. Petersburg, Russia [Published] with technical support of Zoological Institute RAS [2007]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v10i4.7582

 

Abstract

Nucleotide sequences of the circadian rhythm genes, period and timeless, were studied for the first time in mosquitoes Culex pipiens Linnaeus, 1758. In this work we evaluated variations of the studied genome fragments for the two forms of C. pipiens (forma “pipiens” – mosquitoes common for aboveground habitats, forma “molestus” – underground mosquitoes). We compared C. pipiens from Russia with transatlantic C. pipiens and subtropical Culex quinquefasciatus Say, 1823. Our results show that intraspecies variability is higher for the gene period than for the gene timeless. The revealed substitutions in nucleotide sequences and especially in amino acid sequences grouped the individuals of the two forms into distinct clusters with high significance. The detected fixed amino acid substitutions may appear essential for functioning of the circadian rhythm proteins in C. pipiens, and may be correlated with adaptations of the taxa within the group C. pipiens. Our results suggest that natural selection favors fixed mutations and the decrease in diversity of the genes period and timeless in mosquitoes of the C. pipiens f. “molestus” compared with the C. pipiens f. “pipiens”, is probably correlated with adaptive features of C. pipiens f. “molestus”. The studied genome regions may be considered as promising molecular-genetic markers for identification, population and phylogenetic analysis of similar species and forms of the Culex pipiens complex.