Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of the complete chloroplast genome of Curcuma comosa and C. latifolia
Bussarin Wachananawat,
Bobby Lim‐Ho Kong,
Pang‐Chui Shaw,
Bhanubong Bongcheewin,
Sunisa Sangvirotjanapat,
Pinidphon Prombutara,
Natapol Pornputtapong,
Suchada Sukrong
Affiliations
Bussarin Wachananawat
Center of Excellence in DNA Barcoding of Thai Medicinal Plants, Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Bobby Lim‐Ho Kong
Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R & D Centre for Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, N.T., China
Pang‐Chui Shaw
Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R & D Centre for Chinese Medicine and Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, N.T., China
Bhanubong Bongcheewin
Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Center of Excellence in Herbal Medicine and Natural Products, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand; Sireeruckhachati Nature Learning Park, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand
Sunisa Sangvirotjanapat
Sireeruckhachati Nature Learning Park, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom, 73170, Thailand
Pinidphon Prombutara
Faculty of Science, Omics Science & Bioinformatics Center, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Natapol Pornputtapong
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Suchada Sukrong
Center of Excellence in DNA Barcoding of Thai Medicinal Plants, Department of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand; Corresponding author.
Members of the Curcuma genus, a crop in the Zingiberaceae, are widely utilized rhizomatous herbs globally. There are two distinct species, C. comosa Roxb. and C. latifolia Roscoe, referred to the same vernacular name “Wan Chak Motluk” in Thai. C. comosa holds economic importance and is extensively used as a Thai traditional medicine due to its phytoestrogenic properties. However, its morphology closely resembles that of C. latifolia, which contains zederone, a compound known for its hepatotoxic effects. They are often confused, which may affect the quality, efficacy and safety of the derived herbal materials. Thus, DNA markers were developed for discriminating C. comosa from C. latifolia. This study focused on analyzing core DNA barcode regions, including rbcL, matK, psbA-trnH spacer and ITS2, of the authentic C. comosa and C. latifolia species. As a result, no variable nucleotides in core DNA barcode regions were observed. The complete chloroplast (cp) genome was introduced to differentiate between the two species. The comparison revealed that the cp genomes of C. comosa and C. latifolia were 162,272 and 162,289 bp, respectively, with a total of 133 identified genes. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that C. comosa and C. latifolia exhibited a very close relationship with other Curcuma species. The cp genome of C. comosa and C. latifolia were identified for the first time, providing valuable insights for species identification and evolutionary research within the Zingiberaceae family.
