Molecular organization of 5S rDNA intergenic spacer in Gentiana pneumonanthe L. and G. punctata L.

Aim. The study was aimed at cloning and analysis of molecular organization of 5S rDNA intergenic spacer (IGS) in two Gentiana species of Ukrainian flora, G. pneumonanthe L. and G. punctata L. Methods. 5S rDNA IGS sequence was amplified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with a pair of primers specific for the gene coding region. The produced PCR products were fractionated by gel-electrophoresis, isolated, ligated into plasmid pUC18, cloned into E. coli, and then sequenced. Nucleotide sequences were aligned using the Muscle algorithm and analyzed in the Unipro UGENE software. Results. The intergenic spacer region of the 5S rRNA genes was cloned and sequenced for two Gentiana species of Ukrainian flora, G. pneumonanthe and G. punctata. Based on the analysis of the alignment of the IGS sequences of five Gentiana species from three sections, some features of molecular organization of IGS of 5S rRNA genes in the studied species were established. In particular, motifs typical for other angiosperm families were identified, such as conservative oligo-dT motif at the IGS 3'-end that served as a transcription termination site and AT-rich region preceding the coding region of 5S rRNA gene. However, in the region of transcription initiation, conservative GC-element in position -13 is changed to AC. Conclusions. The interspecific variation of molecular organization of 5S rDNA IGS was identified among Gentiana species that can be used to clarify the phylogenetic relationships between members of this genus.Keywords: Gentiana species, 5S rDNA intergenic spacer, molecular organization, phylogeny.