Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Betula chichibuensis (Betulaceae), a critically endangered limestone birch

Takuya Yoshida; Yuji Igarashi; Toshihide Hirao

doi:10.1080/23802359.2020.1768932

Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of Betula chichibuensis (Betulaceae), a critically endangered limestone birch

Mitochondrial DNA B Resour. 2020 May 27;5(3):2166-2167. doi: 10.1080/23802359.2020.1768932. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Takuya Yoshida¹, Yuji Igarashi¹, Toshihide Hirao²

Affiliations

¹ The University of Tokyo Forests, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
² The University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chichibu, Japan.

Abstract

Betula chichibuensis is a critically endangered limestone birch confined to the Chichibu and Kitakami mountains in central and northeastern Japan, respectively. In this study, we assembled and characterized the complete chloroplast genome of B. chichibuensis. The whole chloroplast genome was 160,791 bp in length, consisting of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 89,504 bp and a small single-copy (SSC) region of 19,175 bp, separated by a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 26,056 bp. It contained 133 genes, including 88 protein-coding genes (80 PCG types), 37 tRNA genes (30 tRNA types), and eight rRNA genes (four rRNA types). The overall GC content of the chloroplast genome was 36.01%. Phylogenetic analysis resolved B. chichibuensis as sister to the clade containing B. pendula.

Keywords: Betula chichibuensis; Betulaceae; chloroplast genome; conservation; critically endangered species.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by a Joint Project between the University of Tokyo Chichibu Forest and Suntory Natural Water Sanctuary; and a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research [grant number 19K12411] from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.