Plastogenomics Provides a Tool to Study Phylogenetic Interrelationships of Monilophytes: A Review

Abstract

Green plants and algae have plastids of which chloroplasts are most common. Chloroplasts contain their own genomes, which are relatively stable. Approximately 120 genes are in plastomes and mostly encode proteins used in photosynthesis, protein synthesis, and DNA replication. They provide valuable resources to study the plastogenomics, which helps in understanding the process of evolution in one of the oldest living plants and their interrelationship with angiosperms. Comparing the components of plastomes with those of whole genomes or proteome sequences provides important insights into plant phylogeny and evolution. In the recent years, phylogenomics based on chloroplast genomes has demonstrated numerous advantages in plant phylogenetics. Chloroplast phylogenomics can provide a framework for assessing the impact of reticulate evolution in the early evolution of ferns, especially now the more nuclear data is becoming available. In this review, an attempt is made to study plastid genomes and comparisons of gene content, gene arrangement, gene expression, and gene sequences between extant among various fern species.KeywordsPlastomePhylogenomicsChloroplastMonilophytesFerns