Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome sequence of Maesa japonica (Myrsinaceae)

Abstract

Maesa Forssk. (Myrsinaceae) has approximately 200 species distributed in the tropics from southern Africa to East Asia. Among them, Maesa japonica (Thunb.) Moritzi ex Zoll. is distributed throughout China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Korea. In Korea, this species is found only on Jejudo Island. In this study, we conducted whole-genome sequencing of M. japonica chloroplast (cp). The complete cp genome sequence of M. japonica was found to be 157,189 bp in length, consisting of large (87,780 bp) and small (18,143 bp) single-copy regions (LSC and SSC, respectively) and a pair of identical inverted repeats (IRs) (25,633 bp). The overall GC content of the cp genome was 38%, while those of the LSC, SSC, and each IR were 35.2%, 30.9%, and 43.1%, respectively. Furthermore, 130 genes consisting of 85 protein-coding genes, 37 transfer RNA genes and eight ribosomal RNA genes were identified in the cp genome. A phylogenetic analysis of 12 taxa inferred from the cp genome revealed a close relationship between M. salicifolia and M. japonica. The complete cp genome sequence of M. japonica provides valuable information for future evolutionary and phylogenetic studies of Maesa.