Aug 2026· Frontiers in Plant Science· Vol 17· 0 citations· 37 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Overall, Myricaria plastomes show a pattern of highly conserved genome structure coupled with localized sequence divergence, providing valuable resources for phylogenetic resolution, species identification, and plastome evolutionary studies.
Abstract
The genus Myricaria (Tamaricaceae) comprises shrubs widely distributed across arid and high-altitude regions of Eurasia, with China representing an important diversity center, particularly in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau and adjacent areas. To investigate plastome evolution and phylogenetic relationships within this genus, we sequenced and comparatively analyzed complete plastomes of five Myricaria species from China, together with those of Reaumuria as an outgroup. All plastomes exhibited a typical quadripartite structure and highly conserved gene composition, containing 127–135 genes, indicating strong structural stability across the genus. Despite the overall conservation of plastome architecture, minor size differences were observed and were mainly associated with contraction and expansion of inverted repeat (IR) boundaries. Comparative analyses revealed heterogeneous patterns of sequence divergence, with nucleotide variation primarily concentrated in intergenic regions and a limited number of protein-coding genes, whereas IR regions showed relatively high conservation. Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and long repeats displayed species-specific distribution patterns, contributing to localized plastome variation. Sliding window analysis identified several mutation hotspots mainly located in single-copy regions, suggesting their potential utility for species identification and phylogenetic studies. Phylogenomic analyses based on complete plastome sequences strongly supported the monophyly of Myricaria and resolved major relationships among sampled species. However, limited resolution among some closely related taxa suggests recent diversification and possible incomplete lineage sorting. Overall, Myricaria plastomes show a pattern of highly conserved genome structure coupled with localized sequence divergence, providing valuable resources for phylogenetic resolution, species identification, and plastome evolutionary studies.
The results indicate that while the Ormosia plastomes retain the typical angiosperm quadripartite structure, they show a substantial expansion of the inverted repeat (IR) regions compared to the sister lineage of core genistoids (represented by Lupinus and Sophora), with the boundaries extending to the clpP gene.
Shihong Zhang, Fengcheng Deng, Yixiong Zhao et al.· Plant Systematics and Evolut...· 0 citations
Phylogenetic reconstruction based on complete plastome sequences strongly supported the monophyly of all seven recognized tribes of Moraceae, recovered the non-monophyly of Streblus, and placed Maclura within Chlorophoreae, consistent with recent nuclear and plastid phylogenomic frameworks.
Hui-Long Li, Wen Deng, Chen-Xuan Yang et al.· BMC Plant Biology· 0 citations
This work offers novel insights into genomic diversity and evolutionary history of sampled Zehneria species, providing a critical molecular resource for future taxonomic and phylogenetic studies within Cucurbitaceae.
Michael Gichuru Karendi, Caroline Njambi Ndungu, Elijah Mkala Mbadi et al.· Genetica· 0 citations
Poa
L. (Poaceae), comprising over 500 species, is taxonomically challenging due to morphological plasticity, hybridization, and polyploidy. To clarify plastome architecture and phylogenetic relationships within the genus, we sequenced and annotated complete chloroplast genomes of
Poa angustifolia
(accessions P10, P14) and
Poa lipskyi
(P17) from Uzbekistan. The three plastomes (135,310–135,609 bp) shared the typical quadripartite structure and an identical complement of 130 genes across self-replication, photosynthesis, and other functional categories. Codon usage and amino acid composition were highly conserved, with a consistent bias toward A/T-ending codons and leucine, isoleucine, glycine, and serine as the dominant residues. Sliding-window analysis identified two nucleotide-diversity hotspots, in the
rpl32
–
trnL
-UAG and
trnC
-GCA–
rpoB
regions, and SSR profiling showed predominant mononucleotide A/T repeats alongside a few taxon-specific pentanucleotide motifs. Maximum-likelihood phylogenomic analysis placed the
P. angustifolia
accessions in a strongly supported clade sister to
P. lipskyi
, consistent with shared membership in sect.
Poa.
These results indicate that
Poa
plastomes are structurally conserved yet retain informative variable regions useful for phylogenetics and barcoding.
Sh. V. Abdullaev, Temur Asatulloyev, Ziyoviddin Yusupov et al.· F1000Research· 0 citations
The genus Salsola (Amaranthaceae) comprises approximately 130 species distributed across Asia, Africa, and Europe, many of which possess important medicinal, horticultural, and ecological significance. Known for its remarkable ecological plasticity, Salsola species thrive in arid, semi-arid, and saline-alkaline environments, serving as key components of desert plant communities. However, extreme environmental pressures have driven convergent evolution, resulting in morphological similarities that obscure phylogenetic relationships. While this structural complexity offers significant horticultural potential, the genus’s evolutionary branching remains poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed complete plastomes of 14 well-defined Salsola species to resolve these primary phylogenetic lineages. The results show that Salsola plastomes range from 149,653 to 152,969 bp in length and harbor 130 annotated genes. These sequences exhibit high synteny, with inverted repeat (IR) regions showing greater conservation than single-copy regions. Our phylogenetic analysis resolved the genus into two basal clades. One clade predominantly consists of annual herbs (e.g., S. brachiata, S. collina, and S. ruthenica), while the other includes the shrub S. arbuscula and semi-shrubs such as S. orientalis, S. passerina, and S. abrotanoides. From the perspective of complete plastome data, our results appear to support Salsola as a well-supported monophyletic lineage. Nevertheless, this inference should be treated with caution because it is based solely on plastome evidence; broader taxon sampling and nuclear genomic data will be needed to further test this conclusion. By providing complete plastome resources for representative Salsola species, this study offers a genomic foundation for future taxonomic clarification, species identification, germplasm conservation, medicinal and horticultural utilization of the genus.
Yiheng Wang, Hai-Wen Li, Jia-Tong Sun et al.· Frontiers in Plant Science· 0 citations
