Cytochrome oxidase subunit 2 (cox2) is a mitochondrial gene that has been transferred to the nucleus in some legumes, and lost from the mitochondrial genomes of some of these taxa. The nuclear copy has acquired a spliceosomal intron that is approximately 1 kb long in Glycine and allied genera. The nuclear copy of the gene is duplicated in Glycine species; this is also the case with the chloroplast-expressed nuclear gene for glutamine synthetase (ncpGS). These two low copy nuclear genes join histone H3-D and the nrDNA ITS region in providing useful characters for addressing a variety of questions in Glycine and relatives. These include the origins of the paleopolyploid genus, Glycine, relationships among diploid species of Glycine subgenus Glycine, and the origins and evolution of polyploids in the subgenus.

Key words: cytochrome oxidase subunit 2, glutamine synthetase, Glycine, polyploidy