Molecular markers in some medicinal plants of the Apiaceae family

The internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 in the 18S-5.8S-26S rDNA repeat units were amplified and cloned from Angelica gigas Nakai, Angelica acutiloba (Siebold & Zucc.) Kitagawa, A. dahurica Maxim, Angelica decursiva (Miq.) Franch. & Savat, Bupleurum falcatum L. and Peucedanum japonicum Thunb. Sequence analyses showed that ITS1 is approx. 215 bp, the 5.8S gene is 162 bp and the ITS2 approx. 221 bp in all six species. The sequences are deposited at the EMBL Nucleotide Database. By including these new sequences in the Apiaceae phylogenetic tree, a third branch consisting of P. japonicum, A. gigas, P. decursivum and A. decursiva is added to the Angelica clade. Peucedanum does not form a distinct branch. The sequence obtained from Angelica dahurica collected in S. Korea is identical to that reported for the same species originating from China. A Bupleurum clade of three species was added to the tree showing closer relationship to the Daucus Laserpitium clade than the Angelica clade. RAPD analysis of all six species showed that the 10-base primer OPC-17 only, out of the 20 Kit-C primers from Operon gave polymorphic banding patterns.