Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Coding Region of the Developmental Gene Gcyc in Natural Populations of the Relict Ramonda myconi (Gesneriaceae)

Abstract

Gcyc is a developmental gene, present in the Gesneriaceae family, that has both highly conserved and highly variable regions. Ramonda myconi (Gesneriaceae) is a paleoendemic plant restricted to mountainous areas of NE Spain. In this study we examine the population variation in the coding region of Gcyc in R. myconi. The fast-evolving nature of the coding regions of the Gcyc gene plus the ancient history of R. myconi together provide an appropriate background to obtain the first insights into population-level variation in developmental genes of flowering plants. One locus of Gcyc was specifically amplified and sequenced. Four single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in the 420 sequenced bases of the gene in two R. myconi populations. The Pyrenean population had only one SNP while all four SNPs were present in the southern population. Three out of four SNPs were non-synonymous. Such novel results indicate that the detection of SNPs in R. myconi over its entire distribution area could be used as an aid to reconstructing the population history of the species, as well as to investigate the relationship between developmental genes and morphological traits.

Abbreviations

Gcyc: homologue of CYC in Gesneriaceae

CYC: cycloidea

PCR: polymerase chain reaction

SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism

Key words

Developmental genes - Mediterranean mountains - paleoendemic plants - Ramonda myconi - single nucleotide polymorphism

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Section Editor: M. Koornneef