# Phylogenetic and genetic evolutionary analyses of the mitochondrial genome of Mastophorus muris in Neodon fuscus from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

## TL;DR

This study analyzes the mitochondrial genome of Mastophorus muris in Neodon fuscus from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to understand its evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships.

## Contribution

The study confirms the close genetic relationship between M. muris and the Onchocercidae family using multiple genetic markers and estimates divergence time.

## Key findings

- M. muris is closely related to the Onchocercidae family with strong phylogenetic support.
- The mitochondrial genome of M. muris contains 32 genes and suggests a divergence time of approximately 391 million years.
- M. muris in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau may have originated from the Mediterranean region.

## Abstract

The larvae of the nematode family can infect several animals. Mastophorus muris is a parasitic nematode that infects mammals and has a worldwide distribution. In this study, the phylogenetic relationships and differentiation time of M. muris collected from Neodon fuscus were studied using molecular methods. The phylogenetic tree constructed based on 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), cytochrome oxidase subunit I (cox 1), 18S rRNA, and 28S rRNA showed that M. muris was closely related to the Onchocercidae family and that this relationship was highly node-supported. The mitochondrial genome of M. muris was found to be a circular double-stranded DNA molecule with 32 mitochondrial genes, including 12 PCGs (ND4L, CYTB, ND1-6, cox 1-3, ATP6), 18 tRNA genes, and 2 rRNA genes (s-rRNA and L-rRNA). The divergence time based on mitochondrial cox 1 generation suggests that M. muris was formed approximately 391 million years ago. Overall, this study can provide valuable data for the further study of the phylogeny and differentiation time of M. muris in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

Our study demonstrates the close genetic relationship between M. muris and the Onchocercidae family. Although previous studies have demonstrated this phylogenetic relationship, it was confirmed in our study using the genetic markers cox 1, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and the 12 protein-coding genes of M. muris parasitized on Neodon fuscus from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). A relatively close relationship was also found between M. muris and the Tetrameridae family. We analyzed the divergence time of M. muris and speculated that M. muris in the QTP might have originated in the Mediterranean region and that there might have been a mutual transmission between Meles meles in the Mediterranean, transmitting M. muris to the QTP.