Molecular phylogenetic studies based on rDNA ITS, cpDNA trnL intron sequence and cladode characteristics in nine Protasparagus taxa

Abstract

The genus Asparagus comprises three subgenera of cladode bearing plants: Protasparagus, Asparagus, and Myrsiphyllum. The interspecific delimitation of the subgenus Protasparagus is ill-defined till date. In the present study, interspecific phylogenetic relationships among nine taxa of Protasparagus based on ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) sequence and the chloroplast DNA trnL intron sequence conservation with their cladode morphology, anatomy, and stomatal characteristics have been analyzed for the first time. The monophyletic subgenus Protasparagus could be resolved into four strongly supported distinct subclades (I, II, III and IV) suggesting that the rDNA and cpDNA molecular phylogenies are explicitly congruent with the cladode characteristics of the subgenus Protasparagus. The present study also confirms the existing subgeneric classification of the genus Asparagus with the monophyletic origin of the dioecious subgenus Asparagus. The present work brings out phylogenetic and taxonomic relationships within the studied taxa of the subgenus Protasparagus therefore providing important background information for further studies on biogeography of a wide range of species.

Ribosomal DNA ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2 secondary structure, nuclear DNA content and phytochemical analyses reveal distinctive characteristics of four subclades of Protasparagus

“…More than 60 species distributed in the world have been mentioned under this subgenus in the publication of Kanno & Yokoyama (). After Obermeyer & Immelman (), who categorized this subgenus into diverse morphological series based on vegetative and floral characters, recently we have demonstrated for the first time the molecular phylogenetic status of this subgenus in particular (Saha et al, ). Saha et al () reported the monophyletic nature of the subgenus Protasparagus and have drawn an explicit interspecific relationship among nine taxa of this subgenus based on the primary sequence data of rDNA ITS, cpDNA trnL intron and cladode characteristics and ultimately grouped them into four strongly supported distinct subclades (I, II, III and IV).…”

“…Protasparagus , one of the three subgenera of the genus Asparagus , is characterized by diverse forms of cladodes (modified photosynthetic stem with a single leaf like internode) which ranges from linear flattened to acicular shapes (Saha et al, ). More than 60 species distributed in the world have been mentioned under this subgenus in the publication of Kanno & Yokoyama ().…”

Genetic Diversity among Some Asparagus Species using rDNA ITS, cpDNA trnL Intron Sequence and Screening for Antioxidant Activity

“…In addition, The trnL group I intron and the intergenic spacer between trnL and trnF are widely used in plant systematics [9]. On the other hand, only a few molecular studies on the genus Asparagus was reported to have been carried out based on cpDNA and the rDNA ITS region [10].…”

“…Generally, reactive oxygen species have various detrimental effects on the cell, like damage of DNA, oxidations of poly-desaturated fatty acids in lipids, oxidations of amino acids in proteins, and oxidatively inactivate specific enzymes by oxidation of co-factors [12][13]. Antioxidants are thought to protect cells against specific diseases by prohibiting the harmful effects of the free radical-mediated process [10][11][12][13][14].…”

Phylogenetic relationships among native Oxytropis species in Turkey using the trnL intron, trnL-F IGS, and trnV intron cpDNA regions

“…All studied regions were selected from chloroplast DNA. The first one was the trnL (UAA) intron, whose sequences have been commonly used for evolutionary studies among related species (Taberlet et al, 1991;Gielly et al, 1996;Zhang et al, 2004;Chen et al, 2005;Dizkirici et al, 2013;Saha et al, 2014). The second region, the trnL (UAA) -F (GAA) intergenic spacer (IGS), was selected due to its utility at the generic and infrageneric level as a former region (Taberlet et al, 1991;Gielly and Taberlet, 1994;Bakker et al, 1999;Kores et al, 2001;Hoggard et al, 2004).…”