The complete chloroplast genome of common camellia tree, Camellia japonica L. (Theaceae), adapted to cold environment in Korea

The plastome of the arctic Oxytropis arctobia (Fabaceae) has large differences compared with that of O. splendens and those of related species

Anatomical and physiological specializations for plant adaptation to harsh climates are the results of molecular mechanisms that can be nuclear or organellar encoded. In this study, the complete plastomes of an arctic species, Oxytropis arctobia Bunge (Fabaceae,) and a closely related temperate species, O. splendens Douglas ex Hook., were assembled, annotated and analyzed to search for differences that might help explain their adaptation to different environments. Consistently with the previously sequenced O. bicolor DC. and O. glabra plastomes, the O. arctobia and O. splendens plastomes both have the common features of the inverted repeat-lacking clade (IRLC), as well as the atpF intron loss, which is unique to the genus. However, significant differences distinguishes the O. arctobia from O. splendens and other closely related plastomes (Oxytropis spp. and Astragalus spp.), including a 3 kb inversion, two large insertions (>1 kb), significant modifications of the accD gene, and an overall larger size.

The investigation of intraspecific characteristics and comparative analyses of the complete mitochondrial genome of Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) assembled from public NGS raw reads of the black truffle, Tuber melanosporum

Due to the rapid development of NGS technologies, a huge amount of NGS raw reads have been accumulated in public repositories, such as the Short Read Archive of NCBI. We successfully rescued the complete mitochondrial genome of Stegobium paniceum, a drug store beetle, from public NGS raw reads of truffle generated from the whole genome project. The circular mitogenome of S. paniceum is 15,474 bp long including 13 protein-coding genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and a single large non-coding region of 803 bp. Intraspecific transfer RNAs structure and sequence variations were investigated and simple sequence repeats identified from three S. paniceum mitochondrial genomes were compared showing their diversities as fundamental data to utilize them in various aspects including developing efficient molecular markers in the family, Ptinidae. Phylogenetic analysis of 23 Bostrichoidea mitochondrial genomes presented better species identification based on phylogenetic analyses and the optimal options for constructing phylogenetic trees based on Bostrichoidea mitochondrial genomes. Our results present not only utilization of public NGS raw read sequences but also intraspecific features of S. paniceum mitochondrial genomes and comparative analysis of Bostrichoidea mitochondrial genomes in various aspects.

The complete chloroplast genome of Castanopsis sieboldii (Makino) Hatus (Fagaceae)

Castanopsis sieboldii (Makino) Hatus is an evergreen tree that distributes in Eastern Asia including Islands of Korea and Japan. The chloroplast genome of C. sieboldii was successfully sequenced. Its length is 160,705 bp long (GC ratio is 36.8%) and has four subregions: 90,821 bp of large single copy (34.6%) and 19,014 bp of small single copy (30.8%) regions are separated by 25,075 bp of inverted repeat (42.8%) regions including 134 genes (89 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). Interspecific variations of Castanopsis are at a moderate level in comparison to those of the other genera. Phylogenetic trees show that C. sieboldii chloroplast genome was clustered with the other two Castanopsis species.

The complete chloroplast genome of Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich (Asteraceae) isolated in Korea

We have determined the complete chloroplast genome of Chrysanthemum zawadskii Herbich isolated in Korea. The circular chloroplast genome of C. zawadskii is 151,137 bp long and has four subregions: 83,041 bp of large single copy and 18,350 bp of small single copy regions are separated by 24,873 bp of inverted repeat regions including 133 genes (87 protein-coding genes, eight rRNA genes, 37 tRNAs, and one pseudogene). There are 65 to 152 single nucleotide polymorphisms and 33 to 64 insertion and deletion regions (178 bp to 372 bp in length) identified against three available chloroplast genomes of C. zawadskii. The phylogenetic tree shows that C. zawadskii is clustered as a paraphyletic group with C. zawadskii subsp. coreanum, displaying incongruency between species and clades.

Genome-wide comparative analyses of GATA transcription factors among 19 Arabidopsis ecotype genomes: Intraspecific characteristics of GATA transcription factors

GATA transcription factors (TFs) are widespread eukaryotic regulators whose DNA-binding domain is a class IV zinc finger motif (CX2CX17-20CX2C) followed by a basic region. Due to the low cost of genome sequencing, multiple strains of specific species have been sequenced: e.g., number of plant genomes in the Plant Genome Database (http://www.plantgenome.info/) is 2,174 originated from 713 plant species. Thus, we investigated GATA TFs of 19 Arabidopsis thaliana genome-widely to understand intraspecific features of Arabidopsis GATA TFs with the pipeline of GATA database (http://gata.genefamily.info/). Numbers of GATA genes and GATA TFs of each A. thaliana genome range from 29 to 30 and from 39 to 42, respectively. Four cases of different pattern of alternative splicing forms of GATA genes among 19 A. thaliana genomes are identified. 22 of 2,195 amino acids (1.002%) from the alignment of GATA domain amino acid sequences display variations across 19 ecotype genomes. In addition, maximally four different amino acid sequences per each GATA domain identified in this study indicate that these position-specific amino acid variations may invoke intraspecific functional variations. Among 15 functionally characterized GATA genes, only five GATA genes display variations of amino acids across ecotypes of A. thaliana, implying variations of their biological roles across natural isolates of A. thaliana. PCA results from 28 characteristics of GATA genes display the four groups, same to those defined by the number of GATA genes. Topologies of bootstrapped phylogenetic trees of Arabidopsis chloroplasts and common GATA genes are mostly incongruent. Moreover, no relationship between geographical distribution and their phylogenetic relationships was found. Our results present that intraspecific variations of GATA TFs in A. thaliana are conserved and evolutionarily neutral along with 19 ecotypes, which is congruent to the fact that GATA TFs are one of the main regulators for controlling essential mechanisms, such as seed germination and hypocotyl elongation.

The complete chloroplast genome of Abeliophyllum distichum f. lilacinum Nakai (Oleaceae) from the Chungbuk Province, Korea

The chloroplast genome of Abeliophyllum distichum f. lilacinum Nakai, classified to a monotypic in this genus, and an endemic species in Korea, was sequenced to understand the genetic differences among intraspecies and cultivars of A. distichum. The chloroplast genome length is 156,015 bp (GC ratio is 37.8%) and has a typical quadripartite structure: 86,779 bp large single copy (35.8%) and 17,828 bp small single copy (31.9%) regions separated by two 25,704 bp inverted repeat (43.2%) regions. The genome encodes for 133 genes (88 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). Six to 99 SNPs and seven to 18 INDEL regions (19 bp to 72 bp) were identified against available chloroplast genomes of A. distichum. Phylogenetic trees show that A. distichum f. lilacinum is clustered with the Dae Ryun cultivar which has a larger fruit body. Our analyses suggest additional research, such as Genotyping-By-Sequencing, for understanding relationship between morphology and genotype of A. distichum.

The complete chloroplast genome of Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus (Rosaceae)

Aruncus dioicus var. kamtschaticus is an economically important herb in the cold temperate regions of East Asia, and displays highly variable morphological features. Completed chloroplast genome of A. dioicus var. kamtschaticus isolated in Korea is 157,859 bp long with four subregions: 85,972 bp of large single copy and 19,185 bp of small single-copy regions separated by 26,351 bp of inverted repeat regions. The genome includes 131 genes (86 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). Phylogenetic analyses show that our chloroplast genome was clustered with two partial chloroplast genomes of A. dioicus.

Mangrove tree (Avicennia marina): insight into chloroplast genome evolutionary divergence and its comparison with related species from family Acanthaceae

Avicennia marina (family Acanthaceae) is a halotolerant woody shrub that grows wildly and cultivated in the coastal regions. Despite its importance, the species suffers from lack of genomic datasets to improve its taxonomy and phylogenetic placement across the related species. Here, we have aimed to sequence the plastid genome of A. marina and its comparison with related species in family Acanthaceae. Detailed next-generation sequencing and analysis showed a complete chloroplast genome of 150,279 bp, comprising 38.6% GC. Genome architecture is quadripartite revealing large single copy (82,522 bp), small single copy (17,523 bp), and pair of inverted repeats (25,117 bp). Furthermore, the genome contains 132 different genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA, 37 tRNA genes, and 126 simple sequence repeats (122 mononucleotide, 2 dinucleotides, and 2 trinucleotides). Interestingly, about 25 forward, 15 reversed and 14 palindromic repeats were also found in the A. marina. High degree synteny was observed in the pairwise alignment with related genomes. The chloroplast genome comparative assessment showed a high degree of sequence similarity in coding regions and varying divergence in the intergenic spacers among ten Acanthaceae species. The pairwise distance showed that A. marina exhibited the highest divergence (0.084) with Justicia flava and showed lowest divergence with Aphelandra knappiae (0.059). Current genomic datasets are a valuable resource for investigating the population and evolutionary genetics of family Acanthaceae members' specifically A. marina and related species.

The complete chloroplast genome of Euscaphis japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz (Staphyleaceae) isolated in Korea

The complete chloroplast genome of Euscaphis japonica (Thunb.) Kanitz isolated in Korea is 160,606 bp long and has four subregions: 89,232 bp of large single-copy and 18,734 bp of small single-copy regions are separated by 26,320 bp of inverted repeat regions including 129 genes (84 CDS, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs) and three pseudogenes. There were 424 SNPs and 809 INDELs compared with the Chinese E. japonica, useful to develop markers for phylogeographic study of the species. Phylogenetic trees show that E. japonica, representing Crossosomatales, is nested within the Malvids clade, confirming previous studies.

The Complete Chloroplast Genome of Arabidopsis thaliana Isolated in Korea (Brassicaceae): An Investigation of Intraspecific Variations of the Chloroplast Genome of Korean A. thaliana

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. is a model organism of plant molecular biology. More than 1,700 whole genome sequences have been sequenced, but no Korean isolate genomes have been sequenced thus far despite the fact that many A. thaliana isolated in Japan and China have been sequenced. To understand the genetic background of Korean natural A. thaliana (named as 180404IB4), we presented its complete chloroplast genome, which is 154,464 bp long and has four subregions: 85,164 bp of large single copy (LSC) and 17,781 bp of small single copy (SSC) regions are separated by 26,257 bp of inverted repeat (IRs) regions including 130 genes (85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). Fifty single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 14 insertion and deletions (INDELs) are identified between 180404IB4 and Col0. In addition, 101 SSRs and 42 extendedSSRs were identified on the Korean A. thaliana chloroplast genome, indicating a similar number of SSRs on the rest five chloroplast genomes with a preference of sequence variations toward the SSR region. A nucleotide diversity analysis revealed two highly variable regions on A. thaliana chloroplast genomes. Phylogenetic trees with three more chloroplast genomes of East Asian natural isolates show that Korean and Chinese natural isolates are clustered together, whereas two Japanese isolates are not clustered, suggesting the need for additional investigations of the chloroplast genomes of East Asian isolates.

The complete chloroplast genome of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. isolated in Korea (Rosaceae): investigation of intraspecific variations on its chloroplast genomes

The complete chloroplast genome of Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. isolated in Korea is 155,125 bp long (GC ratio is 36.9%) and has four subregions: 84,458 bp of large single copy (34.9%) and 18,737 bp of small single copy (30.4%) regions are separated by 25,965 bp of inverted repeat (42.6%) regions including 129 genes (84 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). 258 SNPs and 542 INDELs were identified as intraspecific variations against the partial genome (KY419942). Phylogenetic trees show that our chloroplast genome was clustered with the previous A. pilosa chloroplast genome.

A complete chloroplast genome sequence of Gastrodia elata (Orchidaceae) represents high sequence variation in the species

Gastrodia elata is a non-photosynthetic saprophytic plant of medicinal use in the oriental countries. We report the second complete chloroplast (cp) genome of G. elata from a sample collected in Korea. The length of cp genome is only 35,180 bp: there is no inverted repeated region and many photosynthesis genes are missing compared to typical angiosperm cp genomes. It includes 20 protein-coding genes, 3 rRNAs, and 5 tRNAs. The overall GC content of the genome was 26.7%. Relatively, high intra-specific variation (457 SNPs and 670 indels) is detected in the species comparing it with other seed plants.

The complete chloroplast genome of a new candidate cultivar, Dae Ryun, of Abeliophyllum distichum Nakai (Oleaceae)

To understand genetic features of new candidate cultivar, Dae Ryun of A. distichum, chloroplast genome was sequenced. Its length is 156,019 bp and has four subregions: 86,783 bp of large single-copy (LSC) and 17,828 bp of small single-copy (SSC) regions are separated by 25,704 bp of inverted repeat (IR) regions including 133 genes (87 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). Overall GC content is 35.8%. Intraspecies sequence variations among four A. distichum chloroplast genomes present various numbers. Phylogenetic trees show that A. distichum is clustered with 12 Forsythia species.

Deciphering tea tree chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes of Camellia sinensis var. assamica

Tea is the most popular non-alcoholic caffeine-containing and the oldest beverage in the world. In this study, we de novo assembled the chloroplast (cp) and mitochondrial (mt) genomes of C. sinensis var. assamica cv. Yunkang10 into a circular contig of 157,100 bp and two complete circular scaffolds (701719 bp and 177329 bp), respectively. We correspondingly annotated a total of 141 cp genes and 71 mt genes. Comparative analysis suggests repeat-rich nature of the mt genome compared to the cp genome, for example, with the characterization of 37,878 bp and 149 bp of long repeat sequences and 665 and 214 SSRs, respectively. We also detected 478 RNA-editing sites in 42 protein-coding mt genes, which are ~4.4-fold more than 54 RNA-editing sites detected in 21 protein-coding cp genes. The high-quality cp and mt genomes of C. sinensis var. assamica presented in this study will become an important resource for a range of genetic, functional, evolutionary and comparative genomic studies in tea tree and other Camellia species of the Theaceae family.

The complete chloroplast genome of tulip tree, Liriodendron tulifipera L. (Magnoliaceae): investigation of intra-species chloroplast variations

Liriodendron tulifipera L. belongs to Magnoliaceae which is one of the basal angiosperm families. To understand intra-species variations on chloroplast genome in Liriodendron genus, we presented complete chloroplast genome of L. tulifipera, which is 156,387 bp long and has four subregions: 85,606 bp of large single copy (LSC) and 18,778 bp of small single copy (SSC) regions are separated by 26,002 bp of inverted repeat (IR) regions including 129 genes (84 coding genes, 8 rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 37.0% and those in the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 34.9%, 30.5%, and 42.8%, respectively. Twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in one region and one insertion and deletion are found between two L. tulifipera genomes. INDEL Phylogenetic trees show that two L. tulifipera chloroplasts are clustered together and are sister to Magnolia species.

The complete chloroplast genome of candidate new species from Rosa rugosa in Korea (Rosaceae)

Complete chloroplast genome of candidate new species from Rosa rugosa, named as Rosa angusta, is 156,989 bp long and has four subregions: 86,227 bp of large single copy (LSC) and 18,816 bp of small single copy (SSC) regions are separated by 25,793 bp of inverted repeat (IR) regions including 130 genes (85 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). The overall GC content of this chloroplast genome is 37.2% and in the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.2%, 31.1%, and 42.8%, respectively. Phylogenetic trees show that R. angusta is close to R. rugosa with enough number of sequence variations.

The complete chloroplast genome of coffee tree, Coffea arabica L. 'Typica' (Rubiaceae)

We presented complete chloroplast genome of Coffea arabica L. 'Typica' which is 155,187 bp long and has four subregions: 85,159 bp of large single copy (LSC) and 18,135 bp of small single copy (SSC) regions are separated by 25,946 bp of inverted repeat (IR) regions including 131 genes (86 protein-coding genes, eight rRNAs, and 37 tRNAs). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 37.4% and those in the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 35.4%, 31.3%, and 43.0%, respectively. Interestingly, almost most of sequence variations identified against five coffee chloroplast genomes are insertions and deletions.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of rose-gold pussy willow, Salix gracilistyla Miq. (Salicaceae)

To understand genetic background of Salix gracilistyla Miq., we presented its complete chloroplast genome which is 155,557 bp and has four sub regions: 84,530 bp of large single copy (LSC) and 16,218 bp of small single copy (SSC) regions are separated by 27,405 bp of inverted repeat (IR) regions including 130 genes (84 protein-coding gene, eight rRNAs, and 38 tRNAs). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome is 36.7% and those in the LSC, SSC, and IR regions are 34.5%, 31.0%, and 41.9%, respectively. Phylogenetic trees show phylogenetic position of S. gracilistyla with low level of inter-species sequence variations.