Development of species specific AFLP-derived SCAR marker for authentication of Panax japonicus C. A. MEYER.

Panax japonicus is an important medicinal plant. The aim of this study was to develop species-specific molecular markers for P. japonicus. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was compared among P. japonicus, P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius. A clear species-specific AFLP marker for P. japonicus was generated. After isolation and sequencing of the AFLP fragment, a DNA sequence (293 bp) was obtained and named JG14. Oligonucleotide primer (23 mer) was designed for amplifying 191 bp of the sequence of JG14. PCR analysis revealed a clear amplified band for P. japonicus but not in 3 other Panax species (P. ginseng, P. quinquefolius and P. notoginseng). This sequence characterized amplified regions (SCAR) marker will be used for rapid authentication of P. japonicus among other related Panax species. This is the first report of species-specific SCAR marker development in P. japonicus.