Phylogenetic analysis of the nrDNA ITS and cpDNA rbcL sequences of some endemic Dianthus (Caryophyllaceae) species from Türkiye

In this study, the phylogenetic relationship of four species of Dianthus genus which are endemic and distributed in Türkiye, including D. zederbaueri Vierch, D. varankii Hamzaoğlu & Koç, D. halisdemirii Hamzaoğlu & Koç, and D. goekayi Kaynak, was determined using nuclear DNA (nrDNA) internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) rbcL regions. After sampling from the plant, DNA was extracted and the ITS (ITS4-ITS5A) and rbcL (rbcLaF-rbcLaR) primers were used to perform PCR amplification. Sequencer 5.4.6. was used to edit the sequences. MEGA 11 software was used to determine the nucleotide ratios, genetic distance matrix, and π = nucleotide diversity. Some species of Dianthus available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) were used to construct maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic trees. As a result, based on the ITS analysis π = nucleotide diversity was determined as: 0.001543, and the result of the rbcL analysis π = nucleotide diversity was determined as: 0.000000. In the ITS results, D. halisdemirii, D. superbus, and D. varankii appeared together, while D. zederbaueri and D. aculeatus appeared together. The rbcL results showed that D. zederbaueri and D. varankii were closely related, but the relationship between D. halisdemirii and D. goekayi could not be determined. Furthermore, in the phylogenetic tree constructed by taking the ITS and rbcL sequences of Dianthus, Gypsophila, Silene, Arenaria, Saponaria, Cerastium, Stellaria, Petrorhagia, Minuartia, Agrostemma, and Polycarpon species from NCBI using ITS and rbcL sequences, our endemic Dianthus species appeared in the same group with Petrorhagia, Gypsophila, and Saponaria species. To conclude, our ITS and rbcL results were consistent in determining the phylogenetic relationships of our Dianthus species with other species.