Granule-bound starch synthase: structure, function, and phylogenetic utility |
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Authors: | Mason-Gamer RJ; Weil CF; Kellogg EA |
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Institution: | Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow 83844- 3051, USA. robie@uidaho.edu |
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Abstract: | Interest in the use of low-copy nuclear genes for phylogenetic analyses of
plants has grown rapidly, because highly repetitive genes such as those
commonly used are limited in number. Furthermore, because low- copy genes
are subject to different evolutionary processes than are plastid genes or
highly repetitive nuclear markers, they provide a valuable source of
independent phylogenetic evidence. The gene for granule-bound starch
synthase (GBSSI or waxy) exists in a single copy in nearly all plants
examined so far. Our study of GBSSI had three parts: (1) Amino acid
sequences were compared across a broad taxonomic range, including grasses,
four dicotyledons, and the microbial homologs of GBSSI. Inferred structural
information was used to aid in the alignment of these very divergent
sequences. The informed alignments highlight amino acids that are conserved
across all sequences, and demonstrate that structural motifs can be highly
conserved in spite of marked divergence in amino acid sequence. (2)
Maximum-likelihood (ML) analyses were used to examine exon sequence
evolution throughout grasses. Differences in probabilities among
substitution types and marked among-site rate variation contributed to the
observed pattern of variation. Of the parameters examined in our set of
likelihood models, the inclusion of among-site rate variation following a
gamma distribution caused the greatest improvement in likelihood score. (3)
We performed cladistic parsimony analyses of GBSSI sequences throughout
grasses, within tribes, and within genera to examine the phylogenetic
utility of the gene. Introns provide useful information among very closely
related species, but quickly become difficult to align among more divergent
taxa. Exons are variable enough to provide extensive resolution within the
family, but with low bootstrap support. The combined results of amino acid
sequence comparisons, maximum-likelihood analyses, and phylogenetic studies
underscore factors that might affect phylogenetic reconstruction. In this
case, accommodation of the variable rate of evolution among sites might be
the first step in maximizing the phylogenetic utility of GBSSI.
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