The rbcL Gene Sequence Variations among and within Prunus Species

The objective of this study was to detect the level of SNP variations of rbcL gene sequences among and within Prunus species including 17 locally cultivated and wild relatives of Prunus, and two species of the subfamily Maloideae (Malus domestica and Pyrus communis), as out groups. The rbcL sequences were amplified, sequenced, and aligned to determine Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs). The rbcL gene tree of the samples showed two main clusters. The first included the outgroup taxa (M. domestica and P. communis); and all Prunus samples in the second cluster including Prunus armeniaca, which separated in a subcluster. Our results indicate that rbcL gene sequence analysis provides a well-defined tool to study relationships within and among Prunus species, and can be successfully used in constructing reliable phylogenetic tree for Prunus accessions.