NEW PRIMERS FOR THE POLYMERASE CHAIN AMPLIFICATION OF CPDNA INTERGENIC SPACERS IN PHASEOLUS PHYLOGENY

A better knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships among agricultura l and forestry plant species is of a great importance in plant genetic resource management. The conservative mode of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) evolution suggests that any change in structure or content of the chl oroplast genome ma!: have significant phylogenetic implications. We de scribe in this paper six new PCR primers designed for the amplificatio n of three cpDNA intergenic spacers : atpB-rbcL, rpsl4-psaB, and petA- psbE. The target regions were amplified in various botanical families belonging to both the monocotyledon and dicotyledon classes, indicatin g the wide interest of the primers for taxonomic studies in angiosperm s. In Leguminosae, the digestion of amplified regions by four- and fiv e cutter enzymes revealed cleavage site variation at the intergeneric. interspecific and even at the intraspecific level. Phylogenetic impli cations of this polymorphism are being established in Phaseolus specie s.