An intron loss in the chloroplast gene rpoC1 supports a monophyletic origin for the subfamily Cactoideae of the Cactaceae.

The deletion of an approximately 700-bp intron in the chloroplast-encoded gene rpoC1 was shown in 21 representative species of the subfamily Cactoideae of the angiosperm family Cactaceae. Members of the subfamilies Pereskioideae and Opuntioideae were found to possess the intron, as did members of the related families Aizoaceae, Basellaceae, Didiereaceae, Phytolaccaceae, and Portulacaceae. These results support a monophyletic origin for the most-speciose subfamily of the cactus family, and represent a first report of the loss of this intron in dicots.