MBE Advance Access published online on July 8, 2008
Molecular Biology and Evolution, doi:10.1093/molbev/msn149
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Research Article |
The complete nucleotide sequences of the five genetically distinct plastid genomes of Oenothera, subsection Oenothera: II. A microevolutionary view using bioinformatics and formal genetic data
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* Lehrstuhl für Botanik, Department Biology I, Botany, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 Munich, Germany
MIPS/IBI Institute for Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich; German Research Center for Environmental Health GmbH, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
Address correspondence to: Jörg Meurer, Lehrstuhl für Botanik, Department Biology I, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Menzinger Str. 67, 80638 Munich, Germany; Phone. +49 (0)89 17861288; Fax. +49(0)89 1782274; E-mail: joerg.meurer{at}lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Received for publication May 29, 2008. Accepted for publication July 1, 2008.
A unique combination of genetic features and a rich stock of information make the flowering plant genus Oenothera an appealing model to explore the molecular basis of speciation processes including nucleus-organelle co-evolution. From representative species we have recently reported complete nucleotide sequences of the five basic and genetically distinguishable plastid chromosomes of subsection Oenothera (I - V). In nature Oenothera plastid genomes are associated with six distinct, either homozygous or heterozygous, diploid nuclear genotypes of the three basic genomes A, B, or C. Artificially produced plastome-genome combinations which do not occur naturally often display interspecific plastome-genome incompatibility (PGI). In this study we compare formal genetic data available from all 30 plastome/genome combinations with sequence differences between the plastomes to uncover potential determinants for interspecific PGI. Consistent with an active role in speciation, a remarkable number of genes have high Ka/Ks ratios. Different from the Solanacean cybrid model Atropa/tobacco, RNA editing seems not to be relevant for PGIs in Oenothera. However, predominantly sequence polymorphisms in intergenic segments are proposed as possible sources for PGI. A single locus, the bidirectional promoter region between psbB and clpP, is suggested to contribute to compartmental PGI in the interspecific AB hybrid containing plastome I (AB-I), consistent with its perturbed photosystem II activity.
Key Words: Oenothera chloroplast genome cyto-nuclear co-evolution interspecific plastome-genome incompatibility (PGI) speciation Dobzhansky-Muller Incompatibility microevolution
1 These authors contributed equally to this work.
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