The evolution of base composition in monocots
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Article in Proceedings |
| Conference | Structural and functional diversity of the eukaryotic genome |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Genetics and molecular biology |
| Keywords | genome size evolution; base composition; GC content; monocots; Poaceae |
| Description | Compared to other known angiosperms, monocots genomes show considerable variation in the base composition. This variation may reasoned in compositional changes of the genome and/or various selection forces operating on the molecular level. Here we present the update of CG content data with flow cytometry in majority of monocot families. Monocots have been formerly assumed to have higher GC content compared to other angiosperms, however, this relationship was assumed based on limited genomic data. Our preliminary results indicate that most monocot families indeed posses higher GC content that those known up to date in dicots. A remarkable increase of GC content in grasses seems not to start before the divergence of grasses from Joinvilleaceae. In addition to grasses, several other considerable changes in the overall GC content may be observed in several other monocot groups. We show that combination of GC content and genome size data may provide a useful tool for tracking the long-term processes of genome evolution and may help also in taxa identification and classification. |
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