The complete chloroplast genome sequence of the ethnodrug Aconitum episcopale

Aconitum episcopale Leveille is an essential medicinal plant in the genus Aconitum L. of Ranunculaceae, used as conventional medicine in Bai, Yi, and other ethnic groups of China. According to the available data and Ethno folk applications, A. episcopale is the only Aconitum species that can detoxify, anti-alcoholism, and detoxify opium, especially the poisoning of Aconitum plants. Aconitum species are widely used medicinally, and the vast majority of them are very toxic. However, it is not easy to distinguish between species in morphology, and there are also significant differences in chemical composition. Therefore, there is some confusion in identification and application, which seriously endangers people's life safety. In this paper, the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of A. episcopale was acquired by Illumina paired-end (PE) sequencing technology and compared with other species in the same family and genus. We report the complete cp genome of A. episcopale. The whole circular cp genome of A. episcopale is 155,827 bp in size and contains a large single-copy region (LSC) of 86,452 bp, a small single-copy region (SSC) of 16,939 bp, and two inverted repeat regions (IRS) of 26,218 bp. The A. episcopale cp genome comprised 132 genes, including 85 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 37 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), eight ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and two pseudogenes. A total of 20 genes contained introns, of which 14 genes contained a single intron and two genes had two introns. The chloroplast genome of A. episcopale contained 64 codons encoding 20 amino acids, with the number of codons ranging from 22 to 1,068. The Met and Trp amino acids have only one codon, and other amino acids had 2-6 codons. A total of 64 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were identified, among which mononucleotide sequences accounted for the most. Phylogenetic analysis showed that A. episcopale has a close relative with A. delavayi. Thus, the results of this study provided an essential theoretical basis for molecular identification and phylogeny of A. episcopale.