Yik Mavis Hong-Yu, Kong Bobby Lim-Ho, Siu Tin-Yan, Lau David Tai-Wai, Cao Hui, Shaw Pang-Chui
Li Dak Sum Yip Yio Chin R & D Center for Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China.
Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, China.
Plants (Basel). 2021 Jan 15;10(1):161. doi: 10.3390/plants10010161.
Chinese herbal tea, also known as Liang Cha or cooling beverage, is popular in South China. It is regarded as a quick-fix remedy to relieve minor health problems. Willd. (colloquially Baihuasheshecao) is a common ingredient of cooling beverages. is also used to treat cancer and bacterial infections. Owing to the high demand for , two common adulterants, (DC.) Sivar and Biju (colloquially Nidingjingcao) and (L.) Lam. (colloquially Shuixiancao), are commonly encountered in the market. Owing to the close similarity of their morphological characteristics, it is difficult to differentiate them. Here, we sequenced the complete chloroplast genomes of the three species of using next-generation sequencing (NGS). By comparing the complete chloroplast genomes, we found that they are closely related in the subfamily Rubioideae. We also discovered that there are significant differences in the number and repeating motifs of microsatellites and complex repeats and revealed three divergent hotspots, intergenic spacer, and . By using these species-specific sequences, we propose new DNA barcoding markers for the authentication of and its two common adulterants.
中草药茶，也被称为凉茶或清凉饮料，在中国南方很受欢迎。它被视为缓解轻微健康问题的速效疗法。白花蛇舌草（学名：Hedyotis diffusa Willd.，俗称白花蛇舌草）是清凉饮料的常见成分。它也被用于治疗癌症和细菌感染。由于对白花蛇舌草的需求很高，市场上常见两种常见的掺假物，即纤花耳草（学名：Hedyotis acutangula (DC.) Sivar & Biju，俗称泥丁香草）和水线草（学名：Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam.，俗称水线草）。由于它们形态特征非常相似，很难区分它们。在这里，我们使用下一代测序（NGS）对这三种白花蛇舌草属植物的完整叶绿体基因组进行了测序。通过比较完整的叶绿体基因组，我们发现它们在茜草亚科中关系密切。我们还发现微卫星和复杂重复序列的数量和重复基序存在显著差异，并揭示了三个不同的热点区域，即rps16-trnQ基因间隔区、trnT-trnL基因间隔区和trnL-F基因间隔区。通过使用这些物种特异性序列，我们提出了用于鉴定白花蛇舌草及其两种常见掺假物的新DNA条形码标记。
