Shanshan Liu1, Zhen Wang1, Yingjuan Su2,3, Ting Wang4. 1. School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. 2. School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. suyj@mail.sysu.edu.cn. 3. Research Institute of Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. suyj@mail.sysu.edu.cn. 4. College of Life Sciences, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. tingwang@scau.edu.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Comparative chloroplast genomics could shed light on the major evolutionary events that established plastomic diversity among closely related species. The Polypodiaceae family is one of the most species-rich and underexplored groups of extant ferns. It is generally recognized that the plastomes of Polypodiaceae are highly notable in terms of their organizational stability. Hence, no research has yet been conducted on genomic structural variation in the Polypodiaceae. RESULTS: The complete plastome sequences of Neolepisorus fortunei, Neolepisorus ovatus, and Phymatosorus cuspidatus were determined based on next-generation sequencing. Together with published plastomes, a comparative analysis of the fine structure of Polypodiaceae plastomes was carried out. The results indicated that the plastomes of Polypodiaceae are not as conservative as previously assumed. The size of the plastomes varies greatly in the Polypodiaceae, and the large insertion fragments present in the genome could be the main factor affecting the genome length. The plastome of Selliguea yakushimensis exhibits prominent features including not only a large-scale IR expansion exceeding several kb but also a unique inversion. Furthermore, gene contents, SSRs, dispersed repeats, and mutational hotspot regions were identified in the plastomes of the Polypodiaceae. Although dispersed repeats are not abundant in the plastomes of Polypodiaceae, we found that the large insertions that occur in different species are mobile and are always adjacent to repeated hotspot regions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that the plastomes of Polypodiaceae are dynamic molecules, rather than constituting static genomes as previously thought. The dispersed repeats flanking insertion sequences contribute to the repair mechanism induced by double-strand breaks and are probably a major driver of structural evolution in the plastomes of Polypodiaceae.
BACKGROUND: Comparative chloroplast genomics could shed light on the major evolutionary events that established plastomic diversity among closely related species. The Polypodiaceae family is one of the most species-rich and underexplored groups of extant ferns. It is generally recognized that the plastomes of Polypodiaceae are highly notable in terms of their organizational stability. Hence, no research has yet been conducted on genomic structural variation in the Polypodiaceae. RESULTS: The complete plastome sequences of Neolepisorus fortunei, Neolepisorus ovatus, and Phymatosorus cuspidatus were determined based on next-generation sequencing. Together with published plastomes, a comparative analysis of the fine structure of Polypodiaceae plastomes was carried out. The results indicated that the plastomes of Polypodiaceae are not as conservative as previously assumed. The size of the plastomes varies greatly in the Polypodiaceae, and the large insertion fragments present in the genome could be the main factor affecting the genome length. The plastome of Selliguea yakushimensis exhibits prominent features including not only a large-scale IR expansion exceeding several kb but also a unique inversion. Furthermore, gene contents, SSRs, dispersed repeats, and mutational hotspot regions were identified in the plastomes of the Polypodiaceae. Although dispersed repeats are not abundant in the plastomes of Polypodiaceae, we found that the large insertions that occur in different species are mobile and are always adjacent to repeated hotspot regions. CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that the plastomes of Polypodiaceae are dynamic molecules, rather than constituting static genomes as previously thought. The dispersed repeats flanking insertion sequences contribute to the repair mechanism induced by double-strand breaks and are probably a major driver of structural evolution in the plastomes of Polypodiaceae.
Authors: E Guichoux; L Lagache; S Wagner; P Chaumeil; P Léger; O Lepais; C Lepoittevin; T Malausa; E Revardel; F Salin; R J Petit Journal: Mol Ecol Resour Date: 2011-05-12 Impact factor: 7.090
Authors: Tanner A Robison; Amanda L Grusz; Paul G Wolf; Jeffrey P Mower; Blake D Fauskee; Karla Sosa; Eric Schuettpelz Journal: Genome Biol Evol Date: 2018-10-01 Impact factor: 3.416