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Background. Tulipa species are economically, culturally, scientifically, and ecologically important. Tulips present taxonomic complexities that cannot be adequately resolved by examining their morphological characteristics alone or by relying on a limited selection of genetic markers. Methods. In the present study, we assessed the complete plastid sequences of Tulipa alberti Regel and Tulipa greigii Regel collected from Kazakhstan. Additionally, 14 previously published plastomes were obtained from GenBank for comparison and phylogenetic analysis. Results. The plastid genome sizes of T. alberti and T. greigii were 152,359 bp and 152,242 bp, respectively. In the plastid genomes of T. alberti and T. greigii, 136 genes were annotated, 114 of which were unique. These unique genes comprised eighty protein-coding, thirty transfer RNA, and four ribosomal RNA genes. Additionally, 415 simple sequence repeats were identified, comprising 107 tandem, 40 forward, 49 palindromic, 8 reverse, and 1 complementary repeat. Notably, the region containing ycf1 exhibited high variability and may serve as an informative DNA barcode for this genus. Conclusion. Phylogenetic analysis showed strong support for the relationships among Tulipa species, indicating the utility of plastid genome data for further taxonomic studies within the genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Tulipa L., renowned for its ornamental and ecological significance, encompasses a diversity of species primarily concentrated in the Tian Shan and Pamir-Alay Mountain ranges. With its varied landscapes, Kazakhstan harbors 42 Tulipa species, including the endangered Tulipa alberti Regel and Tulipa greigii Regel, which are critical for biodiversity yet face significant threats from human activities. This study aimed to assess these two species' genetic diversity and population structure using 15 expressed sequence tag simple sequence repeat (EST-SSR) markers. Leaf samples from 423 individuals across 23 natural populations, including 11 populations of T. alberti and 12 populations of T. greigii, were collected and genetically characterized using EST-SSR markers. The results revealed relatively high levels of genetic variation in T. greigii compared to T. alberti. The average number of alleles per locus was 1.9 for T. alberti and 2.8 for T. greigii. AMOVA indicated substantial genetic variation within populations (75% for T. alberti and 77% for T. greigii). The Bayesian analysis of the population structure of the two species indicated an optimal value of K = 3 for both species, splitting all sampled populations into three distinct genetic clusters. Populations with the highest level of genetic diversity were identified in both species. The results underscore the importance of conserving the genetic diversity of Tulipa populations, which can help develop strategies for their preservation in stressed ecological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The taxonomic classification of the genera Salsola L., Pyankovia Akhani and Roalson, and Xylosalsola Tzvelev within Chenopodiaceae Vent. (Amaranthaceae s.l.) remains controversial, with the precise number of species within these genera still unresolved. This study presents a comparative analysis of the complete plastid genomes of S. foliosa, S. tragus, P. affinis, and X. richteri species collected in Kazakhstan. The assembled plastid genomes varied in length, ranging from 151,177 bp to 152,969 bp for X. richteri and S. tragus. These genomes contained 133 genes, of which 114 were unique, including 80 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes. Thirteen regions, including ndhC-ndhD, rps16-psbK, petD, rpoC2, ndhA, petB, clpP, atpF, ycf3, accD, ndhF-ndhG, matK, and rpl20-rpl22, exhibited relatively high levels of nucleotide variation. A total of 987 SSRs were detected across the four analyzed plastid genomes, primarily located in the intergenic spacer regions. Additionally, 254 repeats were identified, including 92 tandem repeats, 88 forward repeats, 100 palindromic repeats, and only one reverse repeat. A phylogenetic analysis revealed clear clustering into four clusters corresponding to the Salsoleae and Caroxyloneae tribe clades. These nucleotide sequences obtained in this study represent a valuable resource for future phylogenetic analyses within the Salsoleae s.l. tribe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tulipa L. is a genus of significant economic, environmental, and cultural importance in several parts of the world. The exact number of species in the genus remains uncertain due to inherent taxonomic challenges. We utilized next-generation sequencing technology to sequence and assemble the plastid genomes of seven Tulipa species collected in Kazakhstan and conducted a comparative analysis. The total number of annotated genes was 136 in all seven studied Tulipa species, 114 of which were unique, including 80 protein-coding, 30 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes. Nine regions (petD, ndhH, ycf2-ycf3, ndhA, rpl16, clpP, ndhD-ndhF, rpoC2, and ycf1) demonstrated significant nucleotide variability, suggesting their potential as molecular markers. A total of 1388 SSRs were identified in the seven Tulipa plastomes, with mononucleotide repeats being the most abundant (60.09%), followed by dinucleotide (34.44%), tetranucleotide (3.90%), trinucleotide (1.08%), pentanucleotide (0.22%), and hexanucleotide (0.29%). The Ka/Ks values of the protein-coding genes ranged from 0 to 3.9286, with the majority showing values <1. Phylogenetic analysis based on a complete plastid genome and protein-coding gene sequences divided the species into three major clades corresponding to their subgenera. The results obtained in this study may contribute to understanding the phylogenetic relationships and molecular taxonomy of Tulipa species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Genetic differences between isolated endemic populations of plant species and those with widely known twin species are relevant for conserving the biological diversity of our planet’s flora. Prunus ledebouriana (Schlecht.) YY Yao is an endangered and endemic species of shrub almond from central Asia. Few studies have explored this species, which is closely related and morphologically similar to the well-known Prunus tenella Batsch. In this article, we present a comparative analysis of studies of three P. ledebouriana populations and one close population of P. tenella in Eastern Kazakhstan in order to determine the particular geographic mutual replacement of the two species. Methods. The populations were collected from different ecological niches, including one steppe population near Ust-Kamenogorsk (P. tenella) and three populations (P. ledebouriana) in the mountainous area. Estimation of plant height using a t-test suggested a statistically significant difference between the populations and the two species (P < 0.0001). DNA simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were applied to study the two species’ genetic diversity and population structure. Results. A total of 19 polymorphic SSR loci were analyzed, and the results showed that the population collected in mountainous areas had a lower variation level than steppe populations. The highest level of Nei’s genetic diversity index was demonstrated in the 4-UK population (0.622) of P. tenella. The lowest was recorded in population 3-KA (0.461) of P. ledebouriana, collected at the highest altitude of the four populations (2,086 meters above sea level). The total genetic variation of P. ledebouriana was distributed 73% within populations and 27% between populations. STRUCTURE results showed that two morphologically similar species diverged starting at step K = 3, with limited population mixing. The results confirmed the morphological and genetic differences between P. tenella and P. ledebouriana and described the level of genetic variation for P. ledebouriana. The study’s results proved that the steppe zone and mountain altitude factor between P. tenella and isolated mountain samples of P. ledebouriana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Eurasian Journal of Applied Biotechnology is the property of National Center for Biotechnology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The species of the genus Juniperus L. play an important role in Kazakhstan forest ecosystems and one of them is Juniperus seravschanica Kom. which has been listed as a rare species in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. The distribution area of J. seravschanica extends from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan) to northern and eastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, Kashmir, southeastern Iran, and Oman. J. seravschanica occurred in the southern part of Kazakhstan along with the ranges Karatau, Talas Alatau, Kyrgyz Alatau, Chu-Ili, Karzhantau, and Ugam. The distribution area of J. seravschanica is constantly decreasing due to intensive logging, forest fires, and excessive cattle grazing. The species has ecological importance in the stabilization of mountain slopes against erosion, for hydrobiological regulation, and as a significant medicinal herb. The species J. excelsa M. Bieb., J. polycarpos K.Koch (var. polycarpos and var. turcomanica R.P.Adams), and J. seravschanica are morphologically very similar with some difficulties in species identification. For a better understanding of the evolutionary relationship of these species in the Juniperus genus, it is important to obtain genetic information on the highly conserved chloroplast (cp) genome. Due to the conserved genomic structure, the cp genome nucleotide sequences are widely used in species distinguishing and reconstructing phylogenetic relationships. Unfortunately, there are no publicly available nucleotide sequences of cp genomes data for J. polycarpos (var. polycarpos and var. turcomanica ), J. excelsa and J. seravschanica . We report the de novo assembly of the J. seravschanica chloroplast genome by applying next-generation sequencing technology based on Illumina NovaSeq 6000. The assembled cp genome of J. seravschanica is 127,609 bp in length and contained 118 genes, including 82 protein-coding genes, 32 transfer RNA genes, and 4 ribosomal RNA genes. In total 152 simple sequence repeats were identified in the chloroplast genome sequence of J. seravschanica . The Bioproject (PRJNA883033), Sequence Read Archive (SRR21673293), and GenBank (OL684343) data were deposited at National Center for Biotechnology Information., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)