The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types

IntroductionZostera caespitosa, a rare submerged angiosperm, is considered endemic to the northwestern Pacific.MethodsThis study assembled and compared the mitochondrial (mt) and chloroplast (cp) genomes of Z. caespitosa to understand the organelle evolutionary patterns.Results and discussionThe cp...

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Main Authors: Yushun Yong, Yulian Wang, Dawei Wang, Xingfang Yuan, Quansheng Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1550467/full
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author Yushun Yong
Yulian Wang
Dawei Wang
Xingfang Yuan
Quansheng Zhang
author_facet Yushun Yong
Yulian Wang
Dawei Wang
Xingfang Yuan
Quansheng Zhang
author_sort Yushun Yong
collection DOAJ
description IntroductionZostera caespitosa, a rare submerged angiosperm, is considered endemic to the northwestern Pacific.MethodsThis study assembled and compared the mitochondrial (mt) and chloroplast (cp) genomes of Z. caespitosa to understand the organelle evolutionary patterns.Results and discussionThe cp genome (143,972 bp) was the second smallest within the seagrasses, whereas the mt genomes (192,246 bp) of Z. caespitosa and other seagrasses were smaller compared to those of other monocotyledons. The protein-coding genes (PCGs) in the organelle genome exhibit a strong A/U bias at codon endings, a selection-driven codon bias. The rates of nonsynonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitutions in the mt genes of Zostera were two times higher than those in the cp genes. Additionally, 50 mitochondrial plastid DNA (MTPT) segments, totaling 44,662 bp, were identified, constituting 23.23% of the mt genome, which is significantly higher than those in most land plants. Phylogenetic analysis of 13 seagrass core cp-PCGs supported previous studies showing two genera in family Zosteraceae: Phyllospadix and Zostera, the latter comprising Zostera and Zosterella as subgenera. RNA editing was remarkably abundant in the 167 mt-PCGs and 172 in cp-PCGs, particularly in the cp genome. There are 11 different RNA editing types in the cp and 3 in the mt, most of which are C to U. Unexpectedly rare editing events, such as A to C, A to U, U to A, G to C, and U to G, have also been found in the cp.
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spelling doaj-art-37ff405716ff4a2fb02bab4bb33744792025-08-20T02:48:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2025-02-011610.3389/fpls.2025.15504671550467The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing typesYushun Yong0Yulian Wang1Dawei Wang2Xingfang Yuan3Quansheng Zhang4Ocean School, Yantai University, Yantai, ChinaNo. 6 Geological Team, Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weihai, ChinaNo. 6 Geological Team, Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weihai, ChinaNo. 6 Geological Team, Shandong Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, Weihai, ChinaOcean School, Yantai University, Yantai, ChinaIntroductionZostera caespitosa, a rare submerged angiosperm, is considered endemic to the northwestern Pacific.MethodsThis study assembled and compared the mitochondrial (mt) and chloroplast (cp) genomes of Z. caespitosa to understand the organelle evolutionary patterns.Results and discussionThe cp genome (143,972 bp) was the second smallest within the seagrasses, whereas the mt genomes (192,246 bp) of Z. caespitosa and other seagrasses were smaller compared to those of other monocotyledons. The protein-coding genes (PCGs) in the organelle genome exhibit a strong A/U bias at codon endings, a selection-driven codon bias. The rates of nonsynonymous (Ka) and synonymous (Ks) substitutions in the mt genes of Zostera were two times higher than those in the cp genes. Additionally, 50 mitochondrial plastid DNA (MTPT) segments, totaling 44,662 bp, were identified, constituting 23.23% of the mt genome, which is significantly higher than those in most land plants. Phylogenetic analysis of 13 seagrass core cp-PCGs supported previous studies showing two genera in family Zosteraceae: Phyllospadix and Zostera, the latter comprising Zostera and Zosterella as subgenera. RNA editing was remarkably abundant in the 167 mt-PCGs and 172 in cp-PCGs, particularly in the cp genome. There are 11 different RNA editing types in the cp and 3 in the mt, most of which are C to U. Unexpectedly rare editing events, such as A to C, A to U, U to A, G to C, and U to G, have also been found in the cp.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1550467/fullZostera caespitosamitochondrial genomechloroplast genomesequence evolutiongene transferRNA editing
spellingShingle Yushun Yong
Yulian Wang
Dawei Wang
Xingfang Yuan
Quansheng Zhang
The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types
Frontiers in Plant Science
Zostera caespitosa
mitochondrial genome
chloroplast genome
sequence evolution
gene transfer
RNA editing
title The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types
title_full The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types
title_fullStr The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types
title_full_unstemmed The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types
title_short The organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass Zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences, massive gene transfer, and uncommon RNA editing types
title_sort organelle genomes of the endangered seagrass zostera caespitosa reveal sequence divergences massive gene transfer and uncommon rna editing types
topic Zostera caespitosa
mitochondrial genome
chloroplast genome
sequence evolution
gene transfer
RNA editing
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2025.1550467/full
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