Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Ilex crenata Thunb. (Aquifoliaceae)

Abstract

Ilex crenata Thunb. is a species of Aquifoliaceae with high ornamental and ecological values. In this study, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of I. crenata was assembled and characterized through Illumina sequencing data. The entire cp genome of I. crenata was 157,988 bp in length with 37.64% overall GC content, containing a large single-copy (LSC) region of 87,414 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,422 bp, which were separated by a pair of 26,076 bp inverted repeat (IR) regions. A total of 135 genes were annotated, including 88 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on 78 conserved protein-coding genes demonstrated that I. crenata is closely related to I. viridis and I. szechwanensis.

Keywords

• ilex crenata thunb.
• aquifoliaceae
• chloroplast genome
• phylogenetic analysis