Identification of nuclear low-copy genes and their phylogenetic utility in rosids

Abstract

By far, the interordinal relationships in rosids remain poorly resolved. Previous studies based on chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear DNA has produced conflicting phylogenetic resolutions that has become a widely concerned problem in recent phylogenetic studies. Here, a total of 96 single-copy nuclear gene loci were identified from the KOG (eukaryotic orthologous groups) database, most of which were first used for phylogenetic analysis of angiosperms. The orthologous sequence datasets from completely sequenced genomes of rosids were assembled for the resolution of the position of the COM (Celastrales–Oxalidales–Malpighiales) clade in rosids. Our analysis revealed strong and consistent support for CM topology (the COM clade as sister to the malvids). Our results will contribute to further exploring the underlying cause of conflict between chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear data. In addition, our study identified a few novel nuclear molecular markers with potential to investigate the deep phylogenetic relationship of plants or other eukaryotic taxonomical groups.