State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, PR China.
Planta Med. 2011 Jan;77(2):182-7. doi: 10.1055/s-0030-1250166. Epub 2010 Aug 27.
Ginsengs (Panax, Araliaceae) are among the plants best known for their medicinal properties. Many ginseng species are endangered due to over-exploitation of natural resources - a situation difficult to remedy while there are no reliable, practical methods for species identification. We screened eleven candidate DNA barcoding loci to establish an accurate and effective Panax species identification system, both for commercial and conservation purposes. We used 95 ginseng samples, representing all the species in the genus. We found considerable differences in the performance of the potential barcoding regions. The sequencing of ATPF-ATPH was unsuccessful due to poly-N structures. The RBCL, RPOB, and RPOC1 regions were found to be mostly invariable, with only four to eight variable sites. Using MATK, PSBK-I, PSBM-TRND, RPS16 and NAD1, we could identify four to six out of eight considerably divergent species but only one to five out of nineteen clusters within the P. bipinnatifidus species group. PSBA-TRNH and ITS were the most variable loci, working very well both in species and cluster identifications. We demonstrated that the combination of PSBA-TRNH and ITS is sufficient for identifying all the species and clusters in the genus.
人参（Panax，五加科）是因其药用特性而闻名的植物之一。由于过度开发自然资源，许多人参物种濒临灭绝 - 在没有可靠、实用的物种鉴定方法的情况下，这种情况很难得到补救。我们筛选了十一个候选 DNA 条形码基因座，以建立一个准确有效的人参属物种鉴定系统，既用于商业目的，也用于保护目的。我们使用了 95 个人参样本，代表了该属中的所有物种。我们发现潜在条形码区域的性能存在很大差异。由于多聚 N 结构，ATPF-ATPH 的测序不成功。RBCL、RPOB 和 RPOC1 区域大部分是不变的，只有四到八个可变位点。使用 MATK、PSBK-I、PSBM-TRND、RPS16 和 NAD1，我们可以从八个差异较大的物种中识别出四到六种，但在 P. bipinnatifidus 种组内的 19 个聚类中只能识别出一到五种。PSBA-TRNH 和 ITS 是最具变异性的基因座，在物种和聚类鉴定方面都非常有效。我们证明 PSBA-TRNH 和 ITS 的组合足以识别该属中的所有物种和聚类。
