Abstract
The Royal Irises (section Oncocyclus) are a Middle-Eastern group of irises, characterized by extremely large flowers with a huge range of flower colors and a unique pollination system. The Royal Irises are considered to be in the course of speciation and serve as a model for evolutionary processes of speciation and pollination ecology. However, no transcriptomic and genomic data are available for these plants. Transcriptome sequencing is a valuable resource for determining the genetic basis of ecological-meaningful traits, especially in non-model organisms. Here we describe the de novo transcriptome assembly of Iris atropurpurea, an endangered species endemic to Israel’s coastal plain. We sequenced and analyzed the transcriptomes of roots, leaves, and three stages of developing flower buds. To identify genes involved in developmental processes we generated phylogenetic gene trees for two major gene families, the MADS-box and MYB transcription factors, which play an important role in plant development. In addition, we identified 1503 short sequence repeats that can be developed for molecular markers for population genetics in irises. This first reported transcriptome for the Royal Irises, and the data generated, provide a valuable resource for this non-model plant that will facilitate gene discovery, functional genomic studies, and development of molecular markers in irises, to complete the intensive eco-evolutionary studies of this group.
Highlights
Iris is the largest genus in the Iridaceae (Asparagales) with over 300 s pecies[1,2]
Among the genes clustered with type II MIKCc MADS, we identified all 14 documented c lades19,37,38), comprising representative genes of Arabidopsis, rice, and I. fulva
We reported a comprehensive characterization of the transcriptome of Iris atropurpurea, an important emerging model for understanding evolutionary p rocesses[3,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]
Summary
Iris is the largest genus in the Iridaceae (Asparagales) with over 300 s pecies[1,2]. Species of section Oncocyclus in Israel occur in small isolated populations and many are considered rare, threatened, or e ndangered[4]. These species are characterized by a single large flower on a stem and perennial, short, knobby rhizomes, occasionally with s tolons[3,5]. The study of plant ecology and evolution increasingly depends on molecular approaches, from identifying the genes underlying adaptation, reproductive isolation, and speciation, to population genetics. No genetic and molecular tools are yet available for the Royal Irises. Only one NGS-based dataset is available for the Royal Irises, which is a plastid genome sequence of Iris gatesii[24]. Our main objective was to generate a reference RNA sequence for the Royal Irises that can serve as a molecular toolbox
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