Molecular systematics. In addition to comparing the chloroplast DNA of charophyceans and plants, molecular systematists have also compared key nuclear geanes, such as those for ribosomal RNA and cytoskeletal proteins. The results support all the other evidence connecting chorophyreans and plants to a common ancestor and point especially to the most complex charophyceans, such as Chara and Coleochaete as the algae most closely related to plants. However, it is important to understand that modern Chara and Coleochaete are not the ancestors of plants.