Gallus Gallus Aggrecan Gene-based Phylogenetic Analysis of Selected Avian Taxonomic Groups

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences remain the most widely used for phylogenetic analysis in birds. A major limitation of mtDNA sequences, however, is that mitochondria genes are inherited as a single linkage group. Here we describe the use of a 540-bp DNA sequence corresponding to the G3 domain of Gallus gallus nuclear aggrecan gene (AGCI) for phylogenetic analysis of the main groups of Galliformes including Phasianidae, Numididae, and Odontophoridae. We also included species from Cracidae and Megapodiidae which are considered by some as Craciformes and others, including here as Galliformes. The uncorrected sequence divergence of the G3 fragments ranges from 1% among the grouses to 36% between some of the distant groups within Galliformes. These sequences contain 39-48% AT nucleotides and the ratios of transition versus transversion are above 1.5 in majority of the comparisons. Using G3 sequences from an Anseriform, Oxyura jamaicensis, as out-groups, phylogenetic trees were obtained using maximum parsimony and distance algorithms and bootstrap analyses. These trees were consistent with those described using Avian sarcoma and leucosis virus gag genes and those from amino acid sequences of hemoglobin and lysozyme c. Our data also support relationships among Galliformes which were defined using mtDNA sequences. In addition to the general support of the five main families of Galliformes, our data are also consistent with previous work that showed Francolinus africanus and Gallus gallus are in the same clade and that Tetraoninae is a well-supported monophyletic subfamily within Phasianidae. The results presented here suggest that the AGC1 sequences meet the criterion of novel nuclear DNA sequences that can be used to help resolve the relationships among Galliformes.