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Planta Med 2004; 70(3): 287-288
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-818928
Letter
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Characterization of Medicinal Epimedium Species by 5S rRNA Gene Spacer Sequencing

Ye Sun1 , 3 , Kwok-Pui Fung1 , 3 , Ping-Chung Leung2 , 3 , Dawen Shi4 , Pang-Chui Shaw1 , 3
  • 1Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
  • 2Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
  • 3Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China
  • 4Pharmacognosy Department, School of Pharmacy, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
This work was supported in part by an RGC Earmarked Grant (CUHK4097/01M)
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Publication History

Received: July 16, 2003

Accepted: November 15, 2003

Publication Date:
23 March 2004 (online)

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Abstract

Sequences of 5S rRNA gene spacer were used to identify Epimedium brevicornu Maxim., E. sagittatum (Sieb. et Zucc.) Maxim., E. wushanense T. S. Ying, E. pubescens Maxim., and E. koreanum Nakai. These species are listed as source plants of Chinese medicine ‘Ying Yang Huo’ in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The neighbor-joining method was used in a sequence analysis of Epimedium species. A position-specific nucleotide was found in the 5S rRNA gene spacer for E. pubescens, E. wushanense, and E. brevicornu. A 19-bp deletion was found for E. koreanum in the 5S rRNA gene spacer. E. koreanum was most divergent from the other four endemic Chinese species of Epimedium.

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Prof. Pang-Chui Shaw

Department of Biochemistry

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Shatin, N.T.

Hong Kong

China

Fax: +852-26035123

Email: pcshaw@cuhk.edu.hk