Identification of Korean Ginseng (Panax ginseng) Cultivars Using Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

Panax ginseng has been one of the most important herbal medicines used in Eastern Asia. Recently, various molecular markers have been developed to authenticate Panax species, but these markers cannot differentiate the exact varieties or variants of Korean ginseng cultivars. In this study, six cultivars of Korean ginseng (Chunpoong, Yunpoong, Gopoong, Gumpoong, Jakyung, and Hwangsook), P. quinquefolius, and P. notoginseng were differentiated by simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker development. Specific primer sets were designed for the 54 candidate sequences containing SSRs that were predicted. Finally, eight polymorphic SSR loci were developed. DNA fragment analysis was performed using fluorescence-labelled primers for the amplicons. Reproducibility tests were carried out using multiple samples of Korean ginseng cultivars and Panax species. Eight primer sets (PgSSR07, PgSSR08, PgSSR09, PgSSR17, PgSSR37, PgSSR40, PgSSR51, and PgSSR53) showing polymorphism were used for phylogenetic relationship analysis. Consequently, six Korean ginseng cultivars (Chunpoong, Yunpoong, Gopoong, Gumpoong, Jakyung, and Hwangsook), P. quinquefolius, and P. notoginseng could be identified using the combination of SSR markers discovered.