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A monophyletic origin of endoparasitic thorny-headed worms (Acanthocephala) and wheel-animals (Rotifera) is widely accepted. However, the phylogeny inside the clade, be it called Syndermata or Rotifera, has lacked validation by mitochondrial (mt) data. Herein, we present the first mt genome of the key taxon Seison and report conflicting results of phylogenetic analyses: while mt sequence-based topologies showed monophyletic Lemniscea (Bdelloidea+Acanthocephala), gene order analyses supported monophyly of Pararotatoria (Seisonidea+Acanthocephala) and Hemirotifera (Bdelloidea+Pararotatoria). Sequence-based analyses obviously suffered from substitution saturation, compositional bias, and branch length heterogeneity; however, we observed no compromising effects in gene order analyses. Moreover, gene order-based topologies were robust to changes in coding (genes vs. gene pairs, two-state vs. multistate, aligned vs. non-aligned), tree reconstruction methods, and the treatment of the two monogonont mt genomes. Thus, mt gene order verifies seisonids as sister to acanthocephalans within monophyletic Hemirotifera, while deviating results of sequence-based analyses reflect artificial signal. This conclusion implies that the complex life cycle of extant acanthocephalans evolved from a free-living state, as retained by most monogononts and bdelloids, via an epizoic state with a simple life cycle, as shown by seisonids. Hence, Acanthocephala represent a rare example where ancestral transitional stages have counterparts amongst the closest relatives., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Platyzoa is a putative lophotrochozoan (spiralian) subtaxon within the protostome clade of Metazoa, comprising a range of biologically diverse, mostly small worm-shaped animals. The monophyly of Platyzoa, the relationships between the putative subgroups Platyhelminthes, Gastrotricha and Gnathifera (the latter comprising at least Gnathostomulida, "Rotifera" and Acanthocephala) as well as some aspects of the internal phylogenies of these subgroups are highly debated. Here we review how complete mitochondrial (mt) genome data contribute to these debates. We highlight special features of the mt genomes and discuss problems in mtDNA phylogenies of the clade. Mitochondrial genome data seem to be insufficient to resolve the position of the platyzoan clade within the Spiralia but can help to address internal phylogenetic questions. The present review includes a tabular survey of all published platyzoan mt genomes., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The metazoan taxon Syndermata (Monogononta, Bdelloidea, Seisonidea, Acanthocephala) comprises species with vastly different lifestyles. The focus of this study is on the phylogeny within the syndermatan subtaxon Acanthocephala (thorny-headed worms, obligate endoparasites). In order to investigate the controversially discussed phylogenetic relationships of acanthocephalan subtaxa we have sequenced the mitochondrial (mt) genomes of Echinorhynchus truttae (Palaeacanthocephala), Paratenuisentis ambiguus (Eoacanthocephala), Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus (Archiacanthocephala), and Philodina citrina (Bdelloidea). In doing so, we present the largest molecular phylogenetic dataset so far for this question comprising all major subgroups of Acanthocephala. Alongside with publicly available mt genome data of four additional syndermatans as well as 18 other lophotrochozoan (spiralian) taxa and one outgroup representative, the derived protein-coding sequences were used for Maximum Likelihood as well as Bayesian phylogenetic analyses. We achieved entirely congruent results, whereupon monophyletic Archiacanthocephala represent the sister taxon of a clade comprising Eoacanthocephala and monophyletic Palaeacanthocephala (Echinorhynchida). This topology suggests the secondary loss of lateral sensory organs (sensory pores) within Palaeacanthocephala and is further in line with the emergence of apical sensory organs in the stem lineage of Archiacanthocephala., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Based on a dataset comprising coding DNA sequences of 23 anthropoid primates, we herein investigate if rates of sequence evolution of SPerm Adhesion Molecule1 (SPAM1, also PH-20), which participates in sperm-egg interaction, is lower in more sexually dimorphic species. For comparison, we analyze sequence evolution of apolipoproteinA-IV (APOA4) and apolipoprotein A-V (APOA5), which should evolve under less or even no sexual selection given their expression in blood, digestive tract, liver, and lungs. Regression analyses provides significant support for a negative dependence of SPAM1 derived branch-specific ratios of non-synonymous to synonymous substitution rates (dN/dS) on sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in a subsample comprising New World and Old World monkeys. We moreover observed a tendency for a positive correlation of substitution rates of SPAM1 with relative testes weight (RTW) and significantly lowered dN/dS estimates in uni-male and uni-male/multi-male breeding monkeys. Importantly, the pattern was not reproduced when analyzing partial APOA4 and APOA5 sequences. These findings illustrate that different levels of sperm competition, probably fueled by female cryptic choice, account for species-specific sequence evolution of SPAM1 in monkeys. Remarkably, present data do not support a correlation of species-specific sequence evolution of SPAM1 with sexual selection levels in hominoids (apes including humans). This can partly be ascribed to a relaxation of functional constraint of SPAM1 in some hominoid species. Additional factors confounding regression analyses specifically in hominoids might be higher levels of sperm competition than reflected by SSD and RTW in some species, a rather strong effect of female mate choice on paternity rates in others, and - in particular in humans - socio-cultural factors not measurable by SSD and RTW., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The monophyletic origin of Spiralia within the metazoan tree of life is supported by many large-scale phylogenomic data. While there is now substantial molecular evidence for Lophotrochozoa being a monophyletic taxon within Spiralia, the phylogenetic affiliations of many other spiralian phyla remain unclear. Here we focus on the question of a monophyletic taxon Gnathifera, which was originally characterized by jaw morphology as comprising the taxa Rotifera, Acanthocephala and Gnathostomulida. Based on a large-scale molecular sequence dataset of 11,146 amino acid residues, we reconstructed phylogenetic trees of spiralian phyla using maximum-likelihood and Bayesian approaches. We obtain the first phylogenomic evidence for the clade Gnathifera, linking Syndermata (Rotifera+Acanthocephala) with Gnathostomulida. Furthermore, our data support recent findings concerning the paraphyly of Eurotatoria.

Positive selection has been shown to be pervasive in sex-related proteins of many metazoan taxa. However, we are only beginning to understand molecular evolutionary processes on the lineage to humans. To elucidate the evolution of proteins involved in human reproduction, we studied the sequence evolution of MAM domains of the sperm-ligand zonadhesin in respect to single amino acid sites, solvent accessibility, and posttranslational modification. GenBank-data were supplemented by new cDNA-sequences of a representative non-human primate panel. Solvent accessibility predictions identified a probably exposed fragment of 30 amino acids belonging to MAM domain 2 (i.e., MAM domain 3 in mouse). The fragment is characterized by significantly increased rate of positively selected amino acid sites and exhibits high variability in predicted posttranslational modification, and, thus, might represent a binding region in the mature protein. At the same time, there is a significant coincidence of positively selected amino acid sites and non-conserved posttranslational motifs. We conclude that the binding specificity of zonadhesin MAM domains, especially of the presumed epitope, is achieved by positive selection at the level of single amino acid sites and posttranslational modifications, respectively.

The phylogeny of the Syndermata (Rotifera: Monogononta, Bdelloidea, Seisonidea; Acanthocephala: Palaeacanthocephala, Eoacanthocephala, Archiacanthocephala) is key to understanding the evolution of acanthocephalan endoparasitism from free-living ancestors. In the present study, maximum likelihood, distance/neighbor-joining, and maximum parsimony analyses have been carried out based on 18S rDNA data of 22 species (four new sequences). The results suggest a monophyletic origin of the Eurotatoria (Monogononta+Bdelloidea). Seison appears as the acanthocephalan sistergroup. Palaeacanthocephala split into an "Echinorhynchus"-and a "Leptorhynchoides"-group, the latter sharing a monophyletic origin with the Eoacanthocephala and Archiacanthocephala. As inferred from the phylogeny obtained acanthocephalan endoparasitism evolved from a common ancestor of Seison and Acanthocephala that lived epizoically on an early mandibulate. Probably, an acanthocephalan stem species invaded the mandibulate host, thus establishing an endoparasitic lifestyle. Subsequently, vertebrates (or gnathostomes) became part of the parasite's life cycle. In the stem line of the Archiacanthocephala, a terrestrial life cycle has evolved, with an ancestor of the Tracheata (Insecta, Myriapoda) acting as intermediate host.