Variability of the trnL plastid gene’s intron in the Faboideae species (Fabaceae)

Abstract

The intron located between the first and the second nucleotide of the leucine tRNA anticodon is the only representative of the group I introns in higher plants. In this work, the intron sequence of the plastid trnL gene was for the first time described in 16 legumes species and putative secondary structures of the full-length intron and its functional domains were reconstructed. A high level of polymorphism was detected for this intron in the Fabaceae genera and in the species within a single genus. Single nucleotide polymorphisms, have been found in the sequences of the catalytic center which are considered to be highly conservative.