ADVANCES IN THE SEQUENCING OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME OF A GIANT LAND SNAIL FROM ARGENTINA

BELTRAMINO, A.A.; GUZMÁN, L.B.; BELTRAMINO, A.A.; SERNIOTTI, E.N.; GUZMÁN, L.B.; PESO, J.G.; SERNIOTTI, E.N.; PESO, J.G.; VOGLER, R.E.; RUMI, A.; VOGLER, R.E.; RUMI, A.

Foz de Iguazú

Congreso; International Congress of Genetics; 2018

Sociedade Brasileira de Genética

In most metazoans, the mitochondrial genome consists of a double-stranded DNA molecule of 12-20 kb, which contains 37 genes (13 coding for proteins, 2 rRNA and 22 tRNA). In recent years, the sequencing of animal mitochondrial genomes has accelerated, although very few complete genomes are available for South American gastropods. In this work, we present the advances in the sequencing of the mitochondrial genome of the giant terrestrial snail Megalobulimus lorentzianus (Doering, 1876) (Gastropoda: Panpulmonata), endemic from South America. The study material consisted of an adult specimen from Morteros, Córdoba, Argentina from which total genomic DNA was extracted by means of a standard CTAB protocol. For the sequencing of the M. lorentzianus mitogenome, a combination of three techniques was used: short PCR; long PCR and primer walking. Different combinations of 96 universal primers for pulmonate snails were used, as well as specific primers designed for the species. DNA sequences were obtained as overlapping fragments which were assembled as contigs. To date, about 90 % of the mitochondrial genome was already sequenced, and the newly determined partial genome conformed to the consensus gene order for the Stylommatophora. Once completed, the mitogenome of M. lorentzianus would represent the first for land snails of Argentina; as well as the fourth for South America among the Panpulmonata.