Analysis of Phylogenetic Relationships in The Walnut Family Based on Internal Transcribed Spacer Sequences and Secondary Structures(ITS2)
Abstract This study aims to investigate the phylogenetic relationships within the Juglandaceae family based on the Internal Transcribed Spacer's primary sequence and secondary structures (ITS2). Comparative analysis of 51 Juglandaceae species was performed across most of the defined seven genera. The results showed that the ITS2 secondary structure's folding pattern was highly conserved and congruent with the eukaryote model. Firstly, Neighbor-joining (N.J.) analysis recognized two subfamilies: Platycaryoideae and Engelhardioideae. The Platycaryoideae included the Platycaryeae (Platycarya+(Carya+ Annamocarya)) and Juglandeae (Juglans-(Cyclocarya + Pterocarya)). The Engelhardioideae composed the (Engelhardia+(Oreomunnea+Alfaroa)). The Rhoiptelea genus was generally regarded as an outgroup when inferring the phylogeny of Juglandaceae. However, it is clustered into the Juglandaceae family and showed a close relationship with the Platycaryoideae subfamily. Secondly, the folded 3-helices and 4-helices secondary structure of ITS2 were founded in the Juglandaceae family. Therefore, these ITS2 structures could be used as formal evidence to analyze Juglandaceae's phylogeny relationship. The morphology based on the secondary structure nicely coincided with previous investigations. This study further confirms that ITS2 can serve as a valid basis for parsing evolutionary relationships in higher woody fruit trees.