The physical map of the chloroplast DNA from Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C A Meyer)

To compare the gene order of the chloroplast genome among dicotyledonous plants, we constructed a physical map of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) with four restriction enzymes, BamHI, HindIII, EcoRI, and PstI. The restriction enzyme recognition sites of the physical map were also confirmed by Southern hybridization of total ginseng cpDNA with homologous and heterologous probes. The cpDNA of Korean ginseng was determined as a circular molecule with a total size of about 154 kb, which contain two inverted repeats of 23 kb each that disrupt the rest of the molecule into a large (90 kb) and a small single copy region (18 kb). The genome structure of Korean ginseng cpDNA was similar in size and gene order to that of tobacco cpDNA. The cpDNA of Korean and American ginseng (P. quinquefolius) showed very similar restriction patterns.