The phylogenetic position of Dimastigella trypaniformis within the parasitic kinetoplastids

Abstract

The nuclear 16S-like rRNA coding regions of two strains of the kinetoplastid flagellate Dimastigella trypaniformis Sandon (strain Ulm and strain Glasgow) were sequenced and phylogenetically analyzed. Strain Ulm was isolated from the hindgut contents of the Australian termite Mastotermes darwiniensis Frogatt, whereas strain Glasgow originates from a soil sample in Scotland. After preparation of genomic DNA the 16S-like rRNA coding regions were amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. The amplification products were cloned in a plasmid vector and sequenced according to standard methods. The sequence of the 16S-like rRNA coding region of strain Ulm differs less than 2% from the sequence of strain Glasgow, indicating that the two strains are most probably members of one species. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequence data positioned D. trypaniformis Sandon as a deep branching lineage near the root of the kinetoplastid group of flagellates.