A Repertory of Rearrangements and the Loss of an Inverted Repeat Region in Passiflora Chloroplast Genomes.

Chloroplast genomes (cpDNA) in angiosperms are usually highly conserved. Although rearrangements have been observed in some lineages, such as Passiflora, the mechanisms that lead to rearrangements are still poorly elucidated. In the present study, we obtained 20 new chloroplast genomes (18 species from the genus Passiflora, and Dilkea retusa and Mitostemma brevifilis from the family Passifloraceae) in order to investigate cpDNA evolutionary history in this group. Passiflora cpDNAs vary in size considerably, with ∼50 kb between shortest and longest. Large inverted repeat (IR) expansions were identified, and at the extreme opposite, the loss of an IR was detected for the first time in Passiflora, a rare event in angiosperms. The loss of an IR region was detected in Passiflora capsularis and Passiflora costaricensis, a species in which occasional biparental chloroplast inheritance has previously been reported. A repertory of rearrangements such as inversions and gene losses were detected, making Passiflora one of the few groups with complex chloroplast genome evolution. We also performed a phylogenomic study based on all the available cp genomes and our analysis implies that there is a need to reconsider the taxonomic classifications of some species in the group.

Transposable element discovery and characterization of LTR-retrotransposon evolutionary lineages in the tropical fruit species Passiflora edulis.

A significant proportion of plant genomes is consists of transposable elements (TEs), especially LTR retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) which are known to drive genome evolution. However, not much information is available on the structure and evolutionary role of TEs in the Passifloraceae family (Malpighiales order). Against this backdrop, we identified, characterized, and inferred the potential genomic impact of the TE repertoire found in the available genomic resources for Passiflora edulis, a tropical fruit species. A total of 250 different TE sequences were identified (96% Class I, and 4% Class II), corresponding to ~ 19% of the P. edulis draft genome. TEs were found preferentially in intergenic spaces (70.4%), but also overlapping genes (30.6%). LTR-RTs accounted for 181 single elements corresponding to ~ 13% of the draft genome. A phylogenetic inference of the reverse transcriptase domain of the LTR-RT revealed association of 37 elements with the Copia superfamily (Angela, Ale, Tork, and Sire) and 128 with the Gypsy (Del, Athila, Reina, CRM, and Galadriel) superfamily, and Del elements were the most frequent. Interestingly, according to insertion time analysis, the majority (95.9%) of the LTR-RTs were recently inserted into the P. edulis genome (< 2.0 Mya), and with the exception of the Athila lineage, all LTR-RTs are transcriptionally active. Moreover, functional analyses disclosed that the Angela, Del, CRM and Tork lineages are conserved in wild Passiflora species, supporting the idea of a common expansion of Copia and Gypsy superfamilies. Overall, this is the first study describing the P. edulis TE repertoire, and it also lends weight to the suggestion that LTR-RTs had a recent expansion into the analyzed gene-rich region of the P. edulis genome, possibly along WGD (Whole genome duplication) events, but are under negative selection due to their potential deleterious impact on gene regions.

Report on the development of putative functional SSR and SNP markers in passion fruits.

BACKGROUND: Passionflowers Passiflora edulis and Passiflora alata are diploid, outcrossing and understudied fruit bearing species. In Brazil, passion fruit cultivation began relatively recently and has earned the country an outstanding position as the world's top producer of passion fruit. The fruit's main economic value lies in the production of juice, an essential exotic ingredient in juice blends. Currently, crop improvement strategies, including those for underexploited tropical species, tend to incorporate molecular genetic approaches. In this study, we examined a set of P. edulis transcripts expressed in response to infection by Xanthomonas axonopodis, (the passion fruit's main bacterial pathogen that attacks the vines), aiming at the development of putative functional markers, i.e. SSRs (simple sequence repeats) and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). RESULTS: A total of 210 microsatellites were found in 998 sequences, and trinucleotide repeats were found to be the most frequent (31.4%). Of the sequences selected for designing primers, 80.9% could be used to develop SSR markers, and 60.6% SNP markers for P. alata. SNPs were all biallelic and found within 15 gene fragments of P. alata. Overall, gene fragments generated 10,003 bp. SNP frequency was estimated as one SNP every 294 bp. Polymorphism rates revealed by SSR and SNP loci were 29.4 and 53.6%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Passiflora edulis transcripts were useful for the development of putative functional markers for P. alata, suggesting a certain level of sequence conservation between these cultivated species. The markers developed herein could be used for genetic mapping purposes and also in diversity studies.