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

Abstract

<i>Maesa</i> Forssk. (Myrsinaceae) has approximately 200 species distributed in the tropics from southern Africa to East Asia. Among them, <i>Maesa japonica</i> (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 <i>M. japonica</i> chloroplast (cp). The complete cp genome sequence of <i>M. japonica</i> 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 <i>M. salicifolia</i> and <i>M. japonica</i>. The complete cp genome sequence of <i>M. japonica</i> provides valuable information for future evolutionary and phylogenetic studies of <i>Maesa</i>.