Epharaim A. Evangelista

By Aloysius Brown, Orlex B. Yllano, Leilani D. Arce, Ephraim A. Evangelista, Ferdinand A. Esplana, Lester Harris R. Catolico and Merbeth Christine L. Pedro

Retrotransposons are transposable elements that use reverse transcriptase as an intermediate to copy and paste themselves into a genome via transcription. The presence of retrotransposons is ubiquitous in the genomes of eukaryotic organisms. This study analyzed the structures and determined the comparative distributions and relatedness of retrotransposons across diverse orders (34) and families (58) of kingdom Plantae. In silico analyses were conducted on 134 plant retrotransposon sequences using ClustalW, EMBOSS Transeq, Motif Finder, and MEGA X. So far, the analysis of these plant retrotransposons showed a significant genomic relationship among bryophytes and angiosperms (216), bryophytes and gymnosperms (75), pteridophytes and angiosperms (35), pteridophytes and gymnosperms (28), and gymnosperms and angiosperms (70). There were 13 homologous plant retrotransposons, 30 conserved domains, motifs (reverse transcriptase, integrase, and gag domains), and nine significant phylogenetic lineages identified. This study provided comprehensive information on the structures, motifs, domains, and phylogenetic relationships of retrotransposons across diverse orders and families of kingdom Plantae. The ubiquitousness of retrotransposons across diverse taxa makes it an excellent molecular marker to better understand the complexity and dynamics of plant genomes.

Part of the book: Genetic Polymorphisms

By Nkwiza M. Nankolongo, Orlex Baylen Yllano, Leilani D. Arce, Neil John V. Vegafria, Ephraim A. Evangelista, Ferdinand A. Esplana, Lester Harris R. Catolico, Merbeth Christine L. Pedro and Edgar E. Tubilag

Capsicum is a genetically diverse eudicot, diploid, and self-pollinating plant that grows well in slightly warmer environments. This crop is popular in different areas of the world due to its medicinal properties and economic potential. This chapter evaluated and analyzed the Capsicum’s biology and horticultural characteristics, genetic resources, genetic diversity, phylogenetic relationships, ploidy levels, chromosome structures, genome organization, important genes, and their applications. This chapter is indispensable in Capsicum frontier research, breeding, development, management, and utilization of this economically important and highly regarded crop worldwide.

Part of the book: Capsicum