Assessing the Phylogenetic Relationships of Baliospermum solanifolium [B. montanum (Willd.) Müll. Arg.] in South India through DNA Barcoding

Author: Karthik S., Basker S., Dheeban Shankar P., Senthil Kumar N., Sarathbabu S. and Saravanan K.

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Abstract

The near-threatened Baliospermum solanifolium [B. montanum (Willd.) Müll. Arg.] plant, found in several locations throughout India's sub-Himalayan region, from the Khasi Hills to Kashmir, was the subject of a DNA barcode investigation. The links between the many species in this genus have been established via morphological research, but there haven't been many attempts to study the evolutionary history at the molecular level. Plant DNA barcodes make the information accessible to the general public and aid in the understanding, preservation, and use of the world's biodiversity. Since a single universal barcode gene is not available, the main challenge is identifying the suitable barcoding gene for our sample. The chloroplast genes matK (maturase K) and rbcL (RuBisCo) were utilized in the study, with leaves DNA serving as the template for amplification. The samples of the B. solanifolium plant collected from four different geographic locations in South India were analyzed for their phylogenetic diversity. MEGA 7.0 was used for the phylogenetic analysis using maximum likelihood and neighbor-joining models with 1000 bootstraps. BLASTn search results indicated that the plastid rbcL and matK gene sequences were consistent with B. solanifolium as the source material and aligned using MUSCLE, in which Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Neighbor-Joining (NJ) trees were produced. The tree shows likely monophyletic for rbcL and divergence in the matK gene. This work suggests that the rbcL gene is a promising option for DNA barcoding of the B. solanifolium plant which helps in understanding the biodiversity.

Keywords

Baliospermum solanifolium (B. montanum), matK, rbcL, DNA barcoding, phylogenetic tree analysis

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates the potential of DNA barcoding in identifying the purity and authenticity of medicinal plant species, especially in the case of B. solanifolium (B. montanum). The phylogenetic tree based on plastid matK and rbc L sequences constructed by the NJ method using the MEGA program supports ML tree analysis. Furthermore, the tree topology evaluated using MEGA 7NJ was remarkably comparable to the ML tree. The rbcL gene was found to be effective in revealing the genetic diversity and variation within the species and in clustering the plants into a molecular phylogenetic tree compared to the matK gene. This highlights the importance of DNA barcoding in ensuring the quality and safety of plant-based medicines and in safeguarding the biodiversity of our planet. Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that DNA barcoding can play a critical role in plant systematics and conservation, as well as in the pharmaceutical industry. By providing a cost-effective and efficient method for species identification, DNA barcoding can help promote sustainable and responsible use of plant resources, ensuring the health and well-being of people and the environment. Although the discovery of phylogenetic biology has transformed the study of molecular and developmental evolution, its influence on ecology is still quite modest. The rbcL and matK gene sequences obtained are only partial, meaning that there are still some variable regions in these genes that cannot be amplified due to the limitations of the primers. The variable regions are also the areas that distinguish one taxon from another. Our study contributes to the examination of the distant relationships among the sections of Euphorbiaceae plants through the use of matK and rbcL. This helps in the possible knowledge of the change in communities or distribution through time and also paves the way for future pharmacological research datasets.

References

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How to cite this article

Karthik S., Basker S., Dheeban Shankar P., Senthil Kumar N., Sarathbabu S. and Saravanan K. (2023). Assessing the Phylogenetic Relationships of Baliospermum solanifolium [B.montanum (Willd.) Müll. Arg.] in South India through DNA Barcoding. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(5): 125-137.