Simple sequence repeats in bryophyte mitochondrial genomes

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) are thought to be common in plant mitochondrial (mt) genomes, but have yet to be fully described for bryophytes. We screened the mt genomes of two liverworts (Marchantia polymorpha and Pleurozia purpurea), two mosses (Physcomitrella patens and Anomodon rugelii) and two hornworts (Phaeoceros laevis and Nothoceros aenigmaticus), and detected 475 SSRs. Some SSRs are found conserved during the evolution, among which except one exists in both liverworts and mosses, all others are shared only by the two liverworts, mosses or hornworts. SSRs are known as DNA tracts having high mutation rates; however, according to our observations, they still can evolve slowly. The conservativeness of these SSRs suggests that they are under strong selection and could play critical roles in maintaining the gene functions.