Abstract:
The conserved
rps2 gene cluster (
rps2-atpI-atpH-atpF-atpA) is broken in the chloroplast genome of Campanulaceae. To explore whether the evolutionary rates of the related genes changed after the cluster was broken, we selected the chloroplast genome sequences of 50 Campanulaceae and two Menyanthaceae species to construct their phylogenetic relationships, and further analyzed the evolutionary rate, selection pressure, and adaptive evolutionary process of the
rps2 gene cluster-related genes. Results showed that all species with a broken
rps2 gene cluster in Campanulaceae were from Campanuloideae and formed monophyletic branches on the phylogenetic tree. Compared with the unbroken species, the mean evolutionary rate of the related genes decreased in the broken species. There were significant differences in the nonsynonymous substitution rate between genes. In adaptive evolutionary analysis, the site model detected positive-selection sites in the
atpI and
rps2 genes. Our findings suggest that the fragmentation of the gene cluster holds phylogenetic implications, leading to alterations in evolutionary rates and diverse evolutionary trajectories among individual genes.