title: Selection on nuclear genes in a Pinus phylogeny.
abstract: In this study, we investigate natural selection in a pine phylogeny. DNA sequences from 18 nuclear genes were used to construct a very well-supported species tree including 10 pine species. This tree is in complete agreement with a previously reported supertree constructed from morphological and molecular data, but there are discrepancies with previous chloroplast phylogenies within the section Pinus. A significant difference in evolutionary rate between Picea and Pinus was found, which could potentially indicate a lower mutation rate in Picea, but other scenarios are also possible. Several approaches were used to study selection patterns in a set of 21 nuclear genes in pines and in some cases in Picea and Pseudotsuga. The overall pattern suggests efficient purifying selection resulting in low branch-specific d(n)/d(s) ratios with an average of 0.22, which is similar to other higher plants. Evidence for purifying selection was common and found on at least 55% of the branches. Evidence of positive selection at several sites was found in a phytocyanin homolog and significant differences in d(n)/d(s) among the branches in the gene tree in dehydrin 1. Several genes suitable for further phylogenetic analysis at various levels of divergence were identified.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Functional Genomics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden. anna.palme@ebc.uu.se
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Palmé
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pyhäjärvi
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wachowiak
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Savolainen
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D010802:Phylogeny; D028223:Pinus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D012641:Selection, Genetic