Comparative Analysis of the Complete Genomes of Three Ficus L. (Moraceae) Species and Its Implication

The genus Ficus L., containing approximately 850 species, is by far the largest genus in the Moraceae. They are mainly distributed worldwide, mainly in tropical countries. In South Korea, there are three native Ficus (including F. erecta Thunb, F. sarmentosa var. nipponica (Franch. & Sav.) Corner, and F. thunbergii Maxim.). Among them, F. erecta is effectively natural resources for the improvement of senile cognitive impairment. However, the chloroplast (cp) genome sequences and information of F. erecta have not been addressed. Therefore, in this study, we provide the complete cp genome of F. erecta and its allied species using next-generation sequencing technology. The chloroplast of Ficus species has typical structure which includes large and small single copy regions and a pair of inverted repeats (IRs). The sizes of cp genomes range from 160,276 bp to 160,603 bp. To determine the phylogenetic positions of these species, we conducted a maximum likelihood analysis using common protein-coding genes in chloroplast sequences. Also, we describe a newly developed single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using multiplex PCR to identify F. erecta based on amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS) technique. We analyzed matK, atpB of the chloroplast genes and ITS from F. erecta and three related taxa, F. carica, F. sarmentosa var. nipponica and F. thunbergii. It provides useful information for molecular identification between F. erecta and related Korean native species.