Complete chloroplast genome of the medicinal plant Cleome paradoxa R.Br. Ex DC: Comparative analysis, and phylogenetic relationships among the members of Cleomaceae.

The cleome species of the Cleomaceae family have several medical uses, including applications such as antioxidants and insecticides. In the present study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genome (cp genome) of Cleome paradoxa. The chloroplast genome is 159,393 bp long, with a typical four-region structure: a large single copy (LSC) region of 88,191 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,620 bp, and inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb) of 26,291 bp each. The proportion of GC content was 35.79 %. The chloroplast genome of C. paradoxa contains 133 genes, 81 of which encode proteins, 29 encode tRNA, and 4 encode rRNA. We noticed a divergence in the location and number of certain genes at the IR-LSC and IR-SSC boundaries. The phylogenetic tree constructed from the complete chloroplast genome data broadly supported the taxonomic situation of Cleome paradoxa as belonging to the Cleomaceae family and Cleome species. The cp genome of C. paradoxa was rich in single sequence repeats (SSRs), with a total of 314 SSRs. Additionally, several genes were under positive selection. These results could be useful for determining the genetic variations and resolving conflicting relationships among Cleomaceae species.

Complete chloroplast genome of the desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Del. comparative analysis, and phylogenetic relationships among the members of Zygophyllaceae.

BACKGROUND: Balanites aegyptiaca (L.) Delile, commonly known as desert date, is a thorny evergreen tree belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae and subfamily Tribuloideae that is widespread in arid and semiarid regions. This plant is an important source of food and medicines and plays an important role in conservation strategies for restoring degraded desert ecosystems. RESULTS: In the present study, we sequenced the complete plastome of B. aegyptiaca. The chloroplast genome was 155,800 bp, with a typical four-region structure: a large single copy (LSC) region of 86,562 bp, a small single copy (SSC) region of 18,102 bp, and inverted repeat regions (IRa and IRb) of 25,568 bp each. The GC content was 35.5%. The chloroplast genome of B. aegyptiaca contains 107 genes, 75 of which coding proteins, 28 coding tRNA, and 4 coding rRNA. We did not observe a large loss in plastid genes or a reduction in the genome size in B. aegyptiaca, as found previously in some species belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae. However, we noticed a divergence in the location of certain genes at the IR-LSC and IR-SSC boundaries and loss of ndh genes relative to other species. Furthermore, the phylogenetic tree constructed from the complete chloroplast genome data broadly supported the taxonomic classification of B. aegyptiaca as belonging to the Zygophyllaceae family. The plastome of B. aegyptiaca was found to be rich in single sequence repeats (SSRs), with a total of 240 SSRs. CONCLUSIONS: The genomic data available from this study could be useful for developing molecular markers to evaluate population structure, investigate genetic variation, and improve production programs for B. aegyptiaca. Furthermore, the current data will support future investigation of the evolution of the family Zygophyllaceae.