Seed Protein Analysis as a Tool for Taxonomy of Alcea (Malvaceae) in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Department of plant sciences, Faculty of Biological sciences, Alzahra university

Abstract

The genus Alcea L. consists of over 50 species, which are primarily distributed in the Irano-Turanian region but have also spread into the Caucasus and the Eastern Mediterranean. Due to the high phenotypic plasticity observed in this genus, species identification requires a combination of traits that are often not all present in a single herbarium specimen. In this study, the electrophoresis of seed proteins is investigated in 24 species and 4 varieties of the genus Alcea. Plant samples were collected from 18 different provinces. This study aimed to apply the seed protein pattern in Alcea species to determine the boundary between Alcea species by using Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The observed protein bands provided a basis for comparing the species. A total of 7 common bands were found among all species, which can be considered characteristic markers of the genus Alcea. Similarity coefficients and Jaccard indices were used to create a similarity matrix, and a cluster analysis was performed using the Ward method with SPSS software. The results showed that A. aucheri was closely related to A. arbelensis, A. koelzii, A. rechingerii, A. kurdica, and A. schirazana based on seed protein storage. A close relationship was observed between A. arbelensis and A. rechingerii, with a 90% protein similarity. Additionally, 92% protein similarity was found between A. gorganica and A. popovi. In the cluster analysis, the species were grouped into 7 clusters, which were nearly identical to the morphological grouping of the species. The seed electrophoresis results were compared with previous molecular phylogenetic studies. We can conclude that seed protein analysis is more useful in determining the relationship of closely related species and subspecies within the genus Alcea.

Keywords

References

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Plant, Algae, and Environment
Volume 9, Issue 3
DOi
September 2025
Pages 94-106

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