The complete mitochondrial and plastid genomes of Rhododendron simsii, an important parent of widely cultivated azaleas

Jie Xu; Hang Luo; Shuai Nie; Ren-Gang Zhang; Jian-Feng Mao

doi:10.1080/23802359.2021.1903352

The complete mitochondrial and plastid genomes of Rhododendron simsii, an important parent of widely cultivated azaleas

Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2021 Mar 24;6(3):1197-1199. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2021.1903352.

Authors

Jie Xu¹, Hang Luo¹, Shuai Nie¹, Ren-Gang Zhang², Jian-Feng Mao¹

Affiliations

¹ Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Tree Breeding by Molecular Design, National Engineering Laboratory for Tree Breeding, College of Biological Sciences and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
² Beijing Ori-Gene Science and Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing, China.

Abstract

The genus Rhododendron of the heather family (Ericaceae) is well known and widely cultivated for their highly ornamental value. The most widely cultivated Rhododendron species is Rhododendron simsii (Indoor azalea). In this study, we assembled the complete linear mitochondrial genome (GenBank accession number MW030508) and quadripartite plastid genome (GenBank accession number MW030509). The mitochondrial genome is 802,707 bp in length with containing 53 unique genes (33 protein-coding, 17 tRNA, and 3 rRNA genes), while the 152,214 bp long plastid genome is smaller and containing 105 unique genes (4 rRNA, 26 tRNA, and 75 protein-coding genes). Phylogenetic analysis showed that the same species relationship with APG system as well as the low supports of branches which is the common characteristic of resolved Ericales phylogenetics.

Keywords: Rhododendron simsii; azalea; mitochondrial genome; plastid genome.

Grants and funding

This work was financially supported by grants from the Project of Construction of World Class Universities in Beijing Forestry University [2019XKJS0308] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in Beijing Forestry University [2018BLCB08].