Comparative analysis of the complete plastid genomes of Mangifera species and gene transfer between plastid and mitochondrial genomes

Mango is an important commercial fruit crop belonging to the genus Mangifera. In this study, we reported and compared four newly sequenced plastid genomes of the genus Mangifera, which showed high similarities in overall size (157,780-157,853 bp), genome structure, gene order, and gene content. Three mutation hotspots (trnG-psbZ, psbD-trnT, and ycf4-cemA) were identified as candidate DNA barcodes for Mangifera. These three DNA barcode candidate sequences have high species identification ability. We also identified 12 large fragments that were transferred from the plastid genome to the mitochondrial genome, and found that the similarity was more than 99%. The total size of the transferred fragment was 35,652 bp, accounting for 22.6% of the plastid genome. Fifteen intact chloroplast genes, four tRNAs and numerous partial genes and intergenic spacer regions were identified. There are many of these genes transferred from mitochondria to the chloroplast in other species genomes. Phylogenetic analysis based on whole plastid genome data provided a high support value, and the interspecies relationships within Mangifera were resolved well.

Automated summary

The study reported and compared four newly sequenced plastid genomes of the genus Mangifera, finding high similarities among them. Certain DNA sequences were identified as potential DNA barcodes for Mangifera, and interspecies relationships were well resolved based on whole plastid genome data. Additionally, the study revealed large fragments transferred from the plastid genome to the mitochondrial genome.