Complete chloroplast genome comparisons for Pityopsis (Asteraceae)

Pityopsis includes several regionally and one federally endangered species of herbaceous perennials. Four species are highly localized, including the federally endangered P. ruthii. The genus includes several ploidy levels and interesting ecological traits such as drought tolerance and fire-dependent flowering. Results from previous cladistic analyses of morphology and from initial DNA sequence studies did not agree with one another or with the infrageneric taxonomic classification, with the result that infrageneric relationships remain unresolved. We sequenced, assembled, and compared the chloroplast (cp) genomes of 12 species or varieties of Pityopsis to better understand generic evolution. A reference cp genome 152,569 bp in length was assembled de novo from P. falcata. Reads from other sampled species were then aligned to the P. falcata reference and individual chloroplast genomes were assembled for each, with manual gapfilling and polishing. After removing the duplicated second inverted region, a multiple sequence alignment of the cp genomes was used to construct a maximum likelihood (ML) phylogeny for the twelve cp genomes. Additionally, we constructed a ML phylogeny from the nuclear ribosomal repeat region after mapping reads to the Helianthus annuus region. The chloroplast phylogeny supported two clades. Previously proposed clades and taxonomic sections within the genus were largely unsupported by both nuclear and chloroplast phylogenies. Our results provide tools for exploring hybridity and examining the physiological and genetic basis for drought tolerance and fire-dependent flowering. This study will inform breeding and conservation practices, and general knowledge of evolutionary history, hybridization, and speciation within Pityopsis.

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Comparative analysis of four Zantedeschia chloroplast genomes: expansion and contraction of the IR region, phylogenetic analyses and SSR genetic diversity assessment

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.9132 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. e9132

Author(s):

Shuilian He ◽

Yang Yang ◽

Ziwei Li ◽

Xuejiao Wang ◽

Yanbing Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Single Copy ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Trna Genes ◽

Herbaceous Perennials ◽

Coding Regions ◽

Chloroplast Genomes ◽

Diversity Assessment ◽

Cp Genome

The horticulturally important genus Zantedeschia (Araceae) comprises eight species of herbaceous perennials. We sequenced, assembled and analyzed the chloroplast (cp) genomes of four species of Zantedeschia (Z. aethiopica, Z. odorata, Z. elliottiana, and Z. rehmannii) to investigate the structure of the cp genome in the genus. According to our results, the cp genome of Zantedeschia ranges in size from 169,065 bp (Z. aethiopica) to 175,906 bp (Z. elliottiana). We identified a total of 112 unique genes, including 78 protein-coding genes, 30 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes and four ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Comparison of our results with cp genomes from other species in the Araceae suggests that the relatively large sizes of the Zantedeschia cp genomes may result from inverted repeats (IR) region expansion. The sampled Zantedeschia species formed a monophylogenetic clade in our phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, the long single copy (LSC) and short single copy (SSC) regions in Zantedeschia are more divergent than the IR regions in the same genus, and non-coding regions showed generally higher divergence than coding regions. We identified a total of 410 cpSSR sites from the four Zantedeschia species studied. Genetic diversity analyses based on four polymorphic SSR markers from 134 cultivars of Zantedeschia suggested that high genetic diversity (I = 0.934; Ne = 2.371) is present in the Zantedeschia cultivars. High genetic polymorphism from the cpSSR region suggests that cpSSR could be an effective tool for genetic diversity assessment and identification of Zantedeschia varieties.

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The Effects of Drought on Leaf Gas Exchange and Growth of Three Species of Herbaceous Perennials

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.33.3.540a ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 540a-540

Author(s):

K.J. Prevete ◽

R.T. Fernandez

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Stomatal Conductance ◽

Gas Exchange ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Transpiration Rate ◽

Leaf Gas Exchange ◽

Gas Analysis ◽

Herbaceous Perennials ◽

Effects Of Drought ◽

Analysis System

Three species of herbaceous perennials were tested on their ability to withstand and recover from drought stress periods of 2, 4, and 6 days. Eupatorium rugosum and Boltonia asteroides `Snowbank' were chosen because of their reported drought intolerance, while Rudbeckia triloba was chosen based on its reported drought tolerance. Drought stress began on 19 Sept. 1997. Plants were transplanted into the field the day following the end of each stress period. The effects of drought on transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, and net photosynthetic rate were measured during the stress and throughout recovery using an infrared gas analysis system. Leaf gas exchange measurements were taken through recovery until there were no differences between the stressed plants and the control plants. Transpiration, stomatal conductance, and photosynthesis of Rudbeckia and Boltonia were not affected until 4 days after the start of stress. Transpiration of Eupatorium decreased after 3 days of stress. After rewatering, leaf gas exchange of Boltonia and Rudbeckia returned to non-stressed levels quicker than Eupatorium. Growth measurements were taken every other day during stress, and then weekly following transplanting. Measurements were taken until a killing frost that occurred on 3 Nov. There were no differences in the growth between the stressed and non-stressed plants in any of the species. Plants will be monitored throughout the winter, spring, and summer to determine the effects of drought on overwintering capability and regrowth.

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Applying RGB- and Thermal-Based Vegetation Indices from UAVs for High-Throughput Field Phenotyping of Drought Tolerance in Forage Grasses

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13010147 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 147

Author(s):

Tom De Swaef ◽

Wouter H. Maes ◽

Jonas Aper ◽

Joost Baert ◽

Mathias Cougnon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Drought Tolerance ◽

Lolium Perenne ◽

High Throughput ◽

Festuca Arundinacea ◽

Stress Index ◽

Forage Grasses ◽

Crop Water Stress Index ◽

Ploidy Levels ◽

Field Phenotyping

The persistence and productivity of forage grasses, important sources for feed production, are threatened by climate change-induced drought. Breeding programs are in search of new drought tolerant forage grass varieties, but those programs still rely on time-consuming and less consistent visual scoring by breeders. In this study, we evaluate whether Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based remote sensing can complement or replace this visual breeder score. A field experiment was set up to test the drought tolerance of genotypes from three common forage types of two different species: Festuca arundinacea, diploid Lolium perenne and tetraploid Lolium perenne. Drought stress was imposed by using mobile rainout shelters. UAV flights with RGB and thermal sensors were conducted at five time points during the experiment. Visual-based indices from different colour spaces were selected that were closely correlated to the breeder score. Furthermore, several indices, in particular H and NDLab, from the HSV (Hue Saturation Value) and CIELab (Commission Internationale de l’éclairage) colour space, respectively, displayed a broad-sense heritability that was as high or higher than the visual breeder score, making these indices highly suited for high-throughput field phenotyping applications that can complement or even replace the breeder score. The thermal-based Crop Water Stress Index CWSI provided complementary information to visual-based indices, enabling the analysis of differences in ecophysiological mechanisms for coping with reduced water availability between species and ploidy levels. All species/types displayed variation in drought stress tolerance, which confirms that there is sufficient variation for selection within these groups of grasses. Our results confirmed the better drought tolerance potential of Festuca arundinacea, but also showed which Lolium perenne genotypes are more tolerant.

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Novel Allergen Discovery through Comprehensive De Novo Transcriptomic Analyses of Five Shrimp Species

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22010032 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 32

Author(s):

Shaymaviswanathan Karnaneedi ◽

Roger Huerlimann ◽

Elecia B. Johnston ◽

Roni Nugraha ◽

Thimo Ruethers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

De Novo ◽

Penaeus Monodon ◽

Clinical Importance ◽

Major Allergen ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Multiple Sequence ◽

Alpha Tubulin ◽

Shrimp Species ◽

Allergen Sources ◽

Shellfish Allergy

Shellfish allergy affects 2% of the world’s population and persists for life in most patients. The diagnosis of shellfish allergy, in particular shrimp, is challenging due to the similarity of allergenic proteins from other invertebrates. Despite the clinical importance of immunological cross-reactivity among shellfish species and between allergenic invertebrates such as dust mites, the underlying molecular basis is not well understood. Here we mine the complete transcriptome of five frequently consumed shrimp species to identify and compare allergens with all known allergen sources. The transcriptomes were assembled de novo, using Trinity, from raw RNA-Seq data of the whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon), banana shrimp (Fenneropenaeus merguiensis), king shrimp (Melicertus latisulcatus), and endeavour shrimp (Metapenaeus endeavouri). BLAST searching using the two major allergen databases, WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature and AllergenOnline, successfully identified all seven known crustacean allergens. The analyses revealed up to 39 unreported allergens in the different shrimp species, including heat shock protein (HSP), alpha-tubulin, chymotrypsin, cyclophilin, beta-enolase, aldolase A, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PD). Multiple sequence alignment (Clustal Omega) demonstrated high homology with allergens from other invertebrates including mites and cockroaches. This first transcriptomic analyses of allergens in a major food source provides a valuable resource for investigating shellfish allergens, comparing invertebrate allergens and future development of improved diagnostics for food allergy.

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Verticillium Infection Triggers VASCULAR-RELATED NAC DOMAIN7–Dependent de Novo Xylem Formation and Enhances Drought Tolerance in Arabidopsis

The Plant Cell ◽

10.1105/tpc.112.103374 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 24 (9) ◽

pp. 3823-3837 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Michael Reusche ◽

Karin Thole ◽

Dennis Janz ◽

Jekaterina Truskina ◽

Sören Rindfleisch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

De Novo ◽

Xylem Formation

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Complete chloroplast genome of Hordeum brevisubulatum: Genome organization, synonymous codon usage, phylogenetic relationships, and comparative structure analysis

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0261196 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (12) ◽

pp. e0261196

Author(s):

Guangxin Cui ◽

Chunmei Wang ◽

Xiaoxing Wei ◽

Hongbo Wang ◽

Xiaoli Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Relationships ◽

Genome Engineering ◽

De Novo ◽

Synonymous Codon ◽

Northern China ◽

Synonymous Codon Usage ◽

The Other ◽

Coding Regions ◽

Cp Genome ◽

Hordeum Brevisubulatum

Background Hordeum brevisubulatum, known as fine perennial forage, is used for soil salinity improvement in northern China. Chloroplast (cp) genome is an ideal model for assessing its genome evolution and the phylogenetic relationships. We de novo sequenced and analyzed the cp genome of H. brevisubulatum, providing a fundamental reference for further studies in genetics and molecular breeding. Results The cp genome of H. brevisubulatum was 137,155 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure. A total of 130 functional genes were annotated and the gene of accD was lost in the process of evolution. Among all the annotated genes, 16 different genes harbored introns and the genes of ycf3 and rps12 contained two introns. Parity rule 2 (PR2) plot analysis showed that majority of genes had a bias toward T over A in the coding strand in all five Hordeum species, and a slight G over C in the other four Hordeum species except for H. bogdanil. Additionally, 52 dispersed repeat sequences and 182 simple sequence repeats were identified. Moreover, some unique SSRs of each species could be used as molecular markers for further study. Compared to the other four Hordeum species, H. brevisubulatum was most closely related to H. bogdanii and its cp genome was relatively conserved. Moreover, inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb) were less divergent than other parts and coding regions were relatively conserved compared to non-coding regions. Main divergence was presented at the SSC/IR border. Conclusions This research comprehensively describes the architecture of the H. brevisubulatum cp genome and improves our understanding of its cp biology and genetic diversity, which will facilitate biological discoveries and cp genome engineering.

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Complete Chloroplast Genomes from Sanguisorba: Identity and Variation Among Four Species

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules23092137 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (9) ◽

pp. 2137 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Xiang-Xiao Meng ◽

Yan-Fang Xian ◽

Li Xiang ◽

Dong Zhang ◽

Yu-Hua Shi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gc Content ◽

Single Copy ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Trna Genes ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Future Studies ◽

Chloroplast Genomes ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Cp Genome ◽

Sanguisorba Officinalis

The genus Sanguisorba, which contains about 30 species around the world and seven species in China, is the source of the medicinal plant Sanguisorba officinalis, which is commonly used as a hemostatic agent as well as to treat burns and scalds. Here we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequences of four Sanguisorba species (S. officinalis, S. filiformis, S. stipulata, and S. tenuifolia var. alba). These four Sanguisorba cp genomes exhibit typical quadripartite and circular structures, and are 154,282 to 155,479 bp in length, consisting of large single-copy regions (LSC; 84,405–85,557 bp), small single-copy regions (SSC; 18,550–18,768 bp), and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs; 25,576–25,615 bp). The average GC content was ~37.24%. The four Sanguisorba cp genomes harbored 112 different genes arranged in the same order; these identical sections include 78 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes, if duplicated genes in IR regions are counted only once. A total of 39–53 long repeats and 79–91 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified in the four Sanguisorba cp genomes, which provides opportunities for future studies of the population genetics of Sanguisorba medicinal plants. A phylogenetic analysis using the maximum parsimony (MP) method strongly supports a close relationship between S. officinalis and S. tenuifolia var. alba, followed by S. stipulata, and finally S. filiformis. The availability of these cp genomes provides valuable genetic information for future studies of Sanguisorba identification and provides insights into the evolution of the genus Sanguisorba.

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Phylogenetic and Comparative Analyses of Complete Chloroplast Genomes of Chinese Viburnum and Sambucus (Adoxaceae)

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9091143 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1143 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hang Ran ◽

Yanyan Liu ◽

Cui Wu ◽

Yanan Cao

Keyword(s):

Genomic Structure ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Sister Relationship ◽

Plastome Evolution ◽

Chloroplast Genomes ◽

Flora Of China ◽

Phylogenetic Resolution ◽

Sister Relationships ◽

Phylogenomic Analyses ◽

Cp Genome

Phylogenetic analyses of complete chloroplast genome sequences have yielded significant improvements in our understanding of relationships in the woody flowering genus Viburnum (Adoxaceae, Dipsacales); however, these relationships were evaluated focusing only on Viburnum species within Central and South America and Southeast Asia. By contrast, despite being a hotspot of Viburnum diversity, phylogenetic relationships of Viburnum species in China are less well known. Here, we characterized the complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of 21 Viburnum species endemic to China, as well as three Sambucus species. These 24 plastomes were highly conserved in genomic structure, gene order and content, also when compared with other Adoxaceae. The identified repeat sequences, simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and highly variable plastid regions will provide potentially valuable genetic resources for further population genetics and phylogeographic studies on Viburnum and Sambucus. Consistent with previous combined phylogenetic analyses of 113 Viburnum species, our phylogenomic analyses based on the complete cp genome sequence dataset confirmed the sister relationship between Viburnum and the Sambucus-Adoxa-Tetradoxa-Sinadoxa group, the monophyly of four recognized sections in Flora of China (i.e., Viburnum sect. Tinus, Viburnum sect. Solenotinus, Viburnum sect. Viburnum and Viburnum sect. Pseudotinus) and the nonmonophyly of Viburnum sect. Odontotinus and Viburnum sect. Megalotinus. Additionally, our study confirmed the sister relationships between the clade Valvatotinus and Viburnum sect. Pseudotinus, as well as between Viburnum sect. Opulus and the Odontotinus-Megalotinus group. Overall, our results clearly document the power of the complete cp genomes in improving phylogenetic resolution, and will contribute to a better understanding of plastome evolution in Chinese Adoxaceae.

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The complete chloroplast genome of Saxifraga sinomontana (Saxifragaceae) and comparative analysis with other Saxifragaceae species

Revista Brasileira de Botânica ◽

10.1007/s40415-019-00561-y ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (4) ◽

pp. 601-611 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yan Li ◽

Liukun Jia ◽

Zhihua Wang ◽

Rui Xing ◽

Xiaofeng Chi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Chloroplast Genome ◽

Phylogenetic Relationships ◽

De Novo ◽

Single Copy ◽

Bootstrap Support ◽

Protein Coding ◽

Complete Chloroplast Genome ◽

Protein Coding Genes ◽

Chloroplast Genomes

Abstract Saxifraga sinomontana J.-T. Pan & Gornall belongs to Saxifraga sect. Ciliatae subsect. Hirculoideae, a lineage containing ca. 110 species whose phylogenetic relationships are largely unresolved due to recent rapid radiations. Analyses of complete chloroplast genomes have the potential to significantly improve the resolution of phylogenetic relationships in this young plant lineage. The complete chloroplast genome of S. sinomontana was de novo sequenced, assembled and then compared with that of other six Saxifragaceae species. The S. sinomontana chloroplast genome is 147,240 bp in length with a typical quadripartite structure, including a large single-copy region of 79,310 bp and a small single-copy region of 16,874 bp separated by a pair of inverted repeats (IRs) of 25,528 bp each. The chloroplast genome contains 113 unique genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, four rRNAs and 30 tRNAs, with 18 duplicates in the IRs. The gene content and organization are similar to other Saxifragaceae chloroplast genomes. Sixty-one simple sequence repeats were identified in the S. sinomontana chloroplast genome, mostly represented by mononucleotide repeats of polyadenine or polythymine. Comparative analysis revealed 12 highly divergent regions in the intergenic spacers, as well as coding genes of matK, ndhK, accD, cemA, rpoA, rps19, ndhF, ccsA, ndhD and ycf1. Phylogenetic reconstruction of seven Saxifragaceae species based on 66 protein-coding genes received high bootstrap support values for nearly all identified nodes, suggesting a promising opportunity to resolve infrasectional relationships of the most species-rich section Ciliatae of Saxifraga.

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Chloroplast genomes elucidate diversity, phylogeny, and taxonomy of Pulsatilla (Ranunculaceae)

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-76699-7 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Qiu-jie Li ◽

Na Su ◽

Ling Zhang ◽

Ru-chang Tong ◽

Xiao-hui Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Markers ◽

Phylogenetic Trees ◽

Phylogenetic Signal ◽

Data Sets ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Variable Regions ◽

Chloroplast Genomes ◽

Medicinal Value ◽

Cp Genome

AbstractPulsatilla (Ranunculaceae) consists of about 40 species, and many of them have horticultural and/or medicinal value. However, it is difficult to recognize and identify wild Pulsatilla species. Universal molecular markers have been used to identify these species, but insufficient phylogenetic signal was available. Here, we compared the complete chloroplast genomes of seven Pulsatilla species. The chloroplast genomes of Pulsatilla were very similar and their length ranges from 161,501 to 162,669 bp. Eight highly variable regions and potential sources of molecular markers such as simple sequence repeats, large repeat sequences, and single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified, which are valuable for studies of infra- and inter-specific genetic diversity. The SNP number differentiating any two Pulsatilla chloroplast genomes ranged from 112 to 1214, and provided sufficient data for species delimitation. Phylogenetic trees based on different data sets were consistent with one another, with the IR, SSC regions and the barcode combination rbcL + matK + trnH-psbA produced slightly different results. Phylogenetic relationships within Pulsatilla were certainly resolved using the complete cp genome sequences. Overall, this study provides plentiful chloroplast genomic resources, which will be helpful to identify members of this taxonomically challenging group in further investigation.

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