Jayatunga D P W, Harischandra I N, Chandrasekharan N V, de Silva B G D N K
Center for Biotechnology, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka.
Genetics and Molecular Biology Unit, Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda 10250, Sri Lanka.
Life (Basel). 2021 Mar 8;11(3):211. doi: 10.3390/life11030211.
The mosquito sensu lato (s.l.) is a major secondary vector of malaria in Sri Lanka. The sibling species composition in this species complex in Sri Lanka remains debatable. Compensatory base changes (CBCs) in the secondary structures of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) are reliable sources to predict sexual incompatibility among closely related species. The objective of the present study was to investigate the s.l. populations in Sri Lanka using the CBC analysis. Mosquito DNA was amplified and sequenced for the ITS2 region. The sequences were annotated using ITS2 Database. ITS2 secondary structures were constructed and analyzed for CBCs using various bioinformatics tools. The ITS2 regions consisted of two different lengths, 575 bp and 480 bp. The two CBCs and three hemi CBCs identified in the present study suggest that there may be at least two sexually incompatible sibling species. In conclusion, it is likely that there may be only two reproductively isolated sibling species in the species complex in Sri Lanka. However, due to high divergence of ITS2 in these species, it is reasonable to assume that they may be undergoing a speciation event to separate as a distinct species.
广义的蚊子是斯里兰卡疟疾的主要次要传播媒介。斯里兰卡该蚊种复合体中的同胞物种组成仍存在争议。内转录间隔区2(ITS2)二级结构中的补偿性碱基变化(CBCs)是预测近缘物种间性不相容性的可靠来源。本研究的目的是利用CBC分析调查斯里兰卡的广义蚊子种群。对蚊子DNA的ITS2区域进行扩增和测序。使用ITS2数据库对序列进行注释。构建ITS2二级结构,并使用各种生物信息学工具分析CBCs。ITS2区域由两种不同长度组成,575 bp和480 bp。本研究中鉴定出的两个CBCs和三个半CBCs表明可能至少有两个性不相容的同胞物种。总之,斯里兰卡该蚊种复合体中可能只有两个生殖隔离的同胞物种。然而,由于这些物种中ITS2的高度分化,有理由假设它们可能正在经历一个物种形成事件以分化为不同的物种。