Advances in Plant Science: Researchers Uncover Insights into Medicinal Genus Periploca

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from the Department of Pharmacy at Chongqing Duoputai Pharmaceutical Technology Co. Ltd. in Chongqing, People's Republic of China, have made significant breakthroughs in understanding the medicinal genus Periploca. By sequencing and assembling the complete chloroplast genomes of five species, the team was able to conduct a comparative analysis of all recognized species from China and their closely related taxa. This research has provided valuable insights into molecular identification and phylogeny, and has the potential to foster proper medicinal application.

Key Takeaways:

  • The genus Periploca comprises approximately 17 species worldwide, with considerable medicinal value, but poses challenges for its proper medicinal utilization due to morphological similarities in vegetative organs.
  • The team sequenced and assembled the complete chloroplast genomes of five species (, , and ) and conducted a comparative analysis with published cp genomes of P. sepium and 22 additional Apocynaceae cp genomes.
  • The cp genomes of exhibit a typical quadripartite structure, with lengths ranging from 153,513 to 154,140 bp and a GC content of 38.1-38.2%.
  • The cp genomes encoded 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes.
  • Single-nucleotide repeats (A/T) varied among the six species, with forward and palindromic repeats being the dominant long repeat types.
  • Ten highly variable regions were identified based on nucleotide diversity and verified by Sanger sequencing, serving as potential molecular markers for the identification of and related genera.
  • Phylogenetic analyses of the complete cp genome sequences successfully distinguished the six species and revealed the evolutionary relationships among them.
  • Qianli Li, Dept. of Pharmacy, was the primary contact for this research.

Additional authors include Tian Shuai, Jinlan Long, Xiaoqi Jiang, Linling Wei, Ning Ding, Wei Zhou, and Zhikun Wu.

Statistics:

  • The genus Periploca comprises approximately 17 species worldwide.
  • The chloroplast genomes of the six species had lengths ranging from 153,513 to 154,140 bp.
  • The cp genomes encoded 132 genes.
  • Single-nucleotide repeats (A/T) varied among the six species.
  • Ten highly variable regions were identified based on nucleotide diversity.
  • Nucleotide diversity was highest at the SC/IR boundary.

Sources:

  • "Comparative chloroplast genomes and phylogenetic analysis of six Periploca species from China provide insights into the distinction of members of this small medicinal genus" by Qianli Li et al. (Frontiers in Plant Science, 2025;16:1564539)
  • Frontiers in Plant Science can be contacted at: Frontiers Media Sa, Avenue Du Tribunal Federal 34, Lausanne, Ch-1015, Switzerland.
  • China Weekly News, October 21, 2025, p 179.