A single primer pair gives a specific ortholog amplicon in a wide range of Cyanobacteria and plastid-bearing organisms: Applicability in inventory of reference material from collections and phylogenetic analysis

The scarcity of universally applied molecular markers for algae has resulted in the development of multiple, independent and not easily comparable systems. The goal of this work is to increase the number of available molecular markers and to generate easily comparable systems. Thereby, we have designed a primer pair capable of amplifying a broad range of organisms: Cyanobacteria, Chlorophyta, Chlorarachniophyta, Cryptophyta, Euglenida, Glaucophyta, Rhodophyta, Stramenopiles and Streptophyta including plants. This primer pair can amplify a portion of the 23S rRNA gene with sufficient variability to identify reference material form collections across a broad range of taxa and perform phylogenetic studies alongside other available markers.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideResearch highlights► The primer pair 23SU1/23SU2 amplify a portion of the 23S rDNA in major groups of organisms. ► Their relative universality can serve to identify environmental mixtures after cloning. ► PCR product lengths allow amplifying low quality DNA isolated by rapid methods. ► Absence of introns facilitates amplifications and sequencing. ► Divergence among sequences is enough to perform phylogenetic analyses.