Phylogenetic relationships between the chlorophyll a/b binding protein (CAB) multigene family: an intra- and interspecies study

The genome of Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. "Dare" contains a chlorophyll a/b binding (Cab) protein gene family consisting of 10 genes. The primary structures of two linked Cab genes (Cab 4 and Cab 5) were determined. A comparison of the nucleic acid and predicted amino acid sequences of Cab 4 and Cab 5 revealed a high degree of similarity (96% and 98%, respectively). Phylogenetic inferences drawn from sequence comparisons between previously characterized soybean Cab 1, 2, and 3 and Cab 4 and 5 suggested that soybean Cab 3 was an evolutionarily distant member within this family. We further investigated the molecular evolution of the Cab gene family by comparing nucleotide sequences from 25 different Cab genes representing diverse phylogenetic taxa including monocot and dicot species. Phylogenetic inferences from these data support existing morphological phylogenies in that all species within one family clustered together. These data suggested that the Solanaceae were more evolutionarily distant from the monocots than the Fabaceae and Brassicacea. In addition, these data supported the theory that Cab Type I and II genes originated prior to divergence of the monocots and dicots.