Work

Comparative analysis of mitochondrial genomes of invasive weed Mikania micrantha and its indigenous congener Mikania cordata

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Mikania micrantha and Mikania cordata are two distinct species in China. The former is notorious as one of the top 100 worst invasive species, whereas the latter is an indigenous species harmless to native plants or the environment. They form an ideal congener pair for comparative studies aimed at deeply understanding the invasion mechanisms of the exotic weed. In this study, we have assembled and annotated the mitogenomes of both species using Illumina and PacBio sequencing data and compared their characteristic differences. The complete mitogenome of M. micrantha is a double-stranded DNA with a length of 336,564 bp, while the mitogenome of M. cordata exhibits a branching structure, consisting of two small circular molecules and six linear molecules, with a combined length totaling 335,444 bp. Compared to M. cordata, M. micrantha has less SSRs, tandem repeats, dispersed repeats, mitochondrial protein coding genes (PCGs). The two plants show similar codon usage patterns. This comparative study has revealed the structure and function of the mitogenomes of the two species and laid a solid foundation for investigating the effects of gene loss and duplication on the development of invasive traits in M. micrantha.

Source: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.136357

Authors: Zhen Wang, Ruonan Wang, Yatong Sang, Ting Wang, Yingjuan Su, Wenbo Liao

Institutions: Sun Yat-sen University, South China Agricultural University

Language: English

Topic: Chromosomal and Genetic Variations

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,260

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Sun Yat-sen University, Government of Guangdong Province, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province