Complete mitochondrial genomes of the hemiparasitic genus Cymbaria (Orobanchaceae): insights into repeat-mediated recombination, phylogenetic relationships, and horizontal gene transfer.

backgroundThe Orobanchaceae family is widely recognized as an exemplary model system for examining the evolutionary dynamics of parasitic plants. However, reports on the mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the hemiparasitic tribe Cymbarieae are currently lacking. Here, we sequenced, assembled and characterized the complete mitogenome of the genus Cymbaria L. sensu stricto (C. mongolica and C. daurica).

resultsA total of 51 unique mitochondrial genes, including 33 protein-coding genes, three rRNA genes, and 15 tRNA genes, are shared by the mitogenomes of the two hemiparasitic plants, exhibiting the gene content characteristic of autotrophic plants. The mitogenomes of C. mongolica and C. daurica are characterized by a pentacyclic chromosome structure (their major conformation), with lengths of 1,576,465 bp and 1,539,836 bp, respectively. Moreover, we identified and validated the presence of four minor conformations mediated by four pairs of large repeats (> 1000 bp in size) in C. mongolica and eight minor conformations mediated by six large repeats in C. daurica. We further explored codon usage, RNA editing sites, selective pressure, and nucleotide diversity in two Cymbaria mitogenomes. Phylogenetic analyses of 26 species of Lamiales revealed that the two Cymbaria species form a sister clade to the other lineages of Orobanchaceae. Extensive mitogenomic rearrangements are also observed between Cymbaria and five closely related species. Although we identified mitochondrial plastid sequences in the Cymbaria mitogenomes, The mitochondrial plastid sequences (MTPTs) in their mitogenomes represent only 2.37% and 1.74%, respectively. Additionally, there is minimal evidence of intracellular and horizontal gene transfer, with only a few genes (rpl22, rps3, and ycf2) showing low bootstrap support (BS ≤ 70%) for the relationships with the potential host plants Allium mongolicum, Leymus chinensis, and Saposhnikovia divaricata, respectively.

conclusionsWe reported the mitochondrial genome in hemiparasitic Cymbaria species for the first time, which are characterized by multiple repeat-mediated recombination and little to no intracellular and horizontal gene transfer. Our findings provide valuable genetic insights for further studies on the mitogenome evolution of hemiparasitic plants.