Molecular dissection of the rDNA array and of the 5S rDNA gene in Meloidogyne artiellia: phylogenetic and diagnostic implications

The sequence of a 13.423 nucleotide genomic fragment has been determined for the plant parasitic nematode Meloidogyne artiellia. It contains an entire rDNA cluster, the bordering intergenic regions and portions of the flanking coding regions. The sequence analysis of the rDNA repeats suggests homogeneity in M. artiellia, thus providing a further indication of the usefulness of these genes for the diagnostic identification of this species. The comparison of the secondary structures of the internal transcribed spacer 2 region in several Meloidogyne species indicates that RNA folding predictions can be used as a tool of potential diagnostic relevance. The other ribosomal gene, 5S rDNA, has been demonstrated to be functional and located near the trans-spliced leader sequences, in the same arrangement found in the distantly related nematode Caenorhabditis elegans but never in other Meloidogyne thus providing species-specific markers for the identification of several Thylenchida parasitic nematodes.