[matK and its nucleotide sequencing of crude drug chuanxiong and phylogenetic relationship between their species from China and Japan].
OBJECTIVE
To provide more molecular evidences for species relationship between Chuanxiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort.) from China and Japanese Chuanxiong (Senkyu in Japanese) (Cnidium officinale Makino).


METHODS
To sequence such two genes as internal transcribed spacer (ITS) from nuclear rDNA and maturase for lysine (matK) in tRNA(lys) (UUU) intron from chloroplast DNA of both Ligusticum chuanxiong and Cnidium officinale using PCR direct sequencing and to analyze the sequence variation of two genes between these two species.


RESULTS
The matK gene sequence of Ligusticum chuanxiong and Cnidium officinale is 1268 bp in length, coding 422 amino acids of maturase protein. ITS gene sequence 699 bp, consisting of 54 bp of 18S rRNA-3', 215 bp of ITS1, 162 bp of 5.8S rRNA, 222 bp of ITS2, 46 bp of 26S rRNA-5'. Multiple sequence alignment shows that the sequence of two genes between dried crude drug and fresh voucher material of Ligusticum chuanxiong and Cnidium officinale, there is 1 variable site (T-->C) in matK (upstream at 595 nt) and ITS (ITS1 at 54 nt) between Ligusticum chuanxiong and Cnidium officinale.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on homology analysis of two genes plastid matK and nuclear ITS, the origin of Chuanxiong from China and Japan ought to be identical, the scientific name Cnidium officinale of Japanese Chuanxiong should be changed to Ligusticum chuanxiong.
Liu
Yu-ping
YP
Institute of Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100700, China.
Cao
Hui
H
Han
Gui-ru
GR
Fushimi
H
H
Komatsu
K
K
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002681:China; D031048:Cnidium / Q000235:genetics*; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000032:analysis; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics*; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000235:genetics*; D007564:Japan; D030004:Ligusticum / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics*; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D017385:Sequence Homology; D009626:Terminology as Topic
D018744:DNA, Plant; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases; C034038:mRNA maturase; D004722:Endoribonucleases