Comparative analysis reveals the expansion of mitochondrial DNA control region containing unusually high G-C tandem repeat arrays in Nasonia vitripennis

Insect mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) ranges from 14 to 19 kbp, and the size difference is attributed AT-rich control region. Jewel wasps have a parasitoid lifestyle, which may affect mitochondria function evolution. We sequenced, assembled, annotated genomes in Nasonia outgroup species. Gene composition order are conserved within Nasonia, but they differ other parasitoids by two large inversion events that were not reported before. observed much higher substitution rate relative nuclear genome introgression between N. giraulti oneida, consistent with previous studies. Most strikingly, vitripennis mtDNA has an extremely long region (7665 bp), containing twenty-nine 217 bp tandem repeats can fold into super-cruciform structure. In contrast commonly found mitochondria, these high-copy highly (98.7% sequence identity), longer length (approximately 8 Kb), GC-rich (50.7%), CpG-rich (percent CpG 19.4% vs. 1.1% coding region), resulting 23 kbp beyond typical range insects. These vitripennis-specific related any known sequences insect mitochondria. Their evolutionary origin functional consequences warrant further investigations.