Molecular characterization and phylogenetic assessment of a few Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae) species of North-East India

Abstract

Dioscorea spp. or yam are consumed by the indigenous peoples of North-Eastern region of India as a substitute for potato and most of the species are also used in traditional medicine. North-East region is one of the hotspot for Dioscorea species growing in wild habitat which has not been characterized or identified. In the present study, eight morphologically distinct species of Dioscorea belonging to section Enantiophyllum, Botryosicyos and Opsophyton were subjected to molecular characterization and phylogenetic assessment using three marker genes (18S rDNA, matK and rbcL). The results of sequence characterization of the these genes revealed that 18S rRNA gene was highly conserved than matK and rbcL gene sequences and hence 18Sr RNA gene can be used as better candidates for species delimitation. The phylogenetic analysis of the combined molecular gene sequences also showed that the species belonging to section Enantiophyllum were monophyletic in origin.