Complete sequence and comparative analysis of the chloroplast genome of coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)

PLoS One. 2013 Aug 30;8(8):e74736. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074736. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Coconut, a member of the palm family (Arecaceae), is one of the most economically important trees used by mankind. Despite its diverse morphology, coconut is recognized taxonomically as only a single species (Cocos nucifera L.). There are two major coconut varieties, tall and dwarf, the latter of which displays traits resulting from selection by humans. We report here the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of a dwarf coconut plant, and describe the gene content and organization, inverted repeat fluctuations, repeated sequence structure, and occurrence of RNA editing. Phylogenetic relationships of monocots were inferred based on 47 chloroplast protein-coding genes. Potential nodes for events of gene duplication and pseudogenization related to inverted repeat fluctuation were mapped onto the tree using parsimony criteria. We compare our findings with those from other palm species for which complete cp genome sequences are available.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anticodon / genetics
  • Base Sequence
  • Cocos / genetics*
  • Codon / genetics
  • Gene Dosage / genetics
  • Genome, Chloroplast / genetics*
  • Genome, Plant / genetics
  • Inverted Repeat Sequences / genetics
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Phylogeny
  • Pseudogenes / genetics
  • RNA Editing / genetics
  • Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / genetics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA*

Substances

  • Anticodon
  • Codon

Associated data

  • GENBANK/KF285453

Grants and funding

This work was funded by Academia Sinica (http://www.sinica.edu.tw/main_e.shtml). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.