Complete chloroplast genome of Ilex dabieshanensis: Genome structure, comparative analyses with three traditional Ilex tea species, and its phylogenetic relationships within the family Aquifoliaceae

Ilex dabieshanensis K. Yao & M. B. Deng is not only a highly valued tree species for landscaping, it is also a good material for making kuding tea due to its anti-inflammatory and lipid- lowering medicinal properties. Utilizing next-generation and long-read sequencing technologies, we assembled the whole chloroplast genome of I. dabieshanensis. The genome was 157,218 bp in length, exhibiting a typical quadripartite structure with a large single copy (LSC: 86,607 bp), a small single copy (SSC: 18,427 bp) and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRA and IRB: each of 26,092 bp). A total of 121 predicted genes were encoded, including 113 distinctive (79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNAs, and 4 rRNAs) and 8 duplicated (8 protein-coding genes) located in the IR regions. Overall, 132 SSRs and 43 long repeats were detected and could be used as potential molecular markers. Comparative analyses of four traditional Ilex tea species (I. dabieshanensis, I. paraguariensis, I. latifolia and I. cornuta) revealed seven divergent regions: matK-rps16, trnS-psbZ, trnT-trnL, atpB-rbcL, petB-petD, rpl14-rpl16, and rpl32-trnL. These variations might be applicable for distinguishing different species within the genus Ilex. Phylogenetic reconstruction strongly suggested that I. dabieshanensis formed a sister clade to I. cornuta and also showed a close relationship to I. latifolia. The generated chloroplast genome information in our study is significant for Ilex tea germplasm identification, phylogeny and genetic improvement.

Automated summary

By assembling and analyzing the chloroplast genome of Ilex dabieshanensis, potential genetic markers for distinguishing different species within the Ilex genus were identified, along with divergent regions compared to other traditional Ilex tea species.