Plastome characterization of Embelia ribes Burm. f. (Myrsinoideae: Primulaceae): comparative analysis and...

Embelia ribes, a member of the subfamily Myrsinoideae within the family Primulaceae, is a widely distributed medicinally important plant and the primary source of embelin. Despite its wide distribution across South and Southeast Asia, and its medicinal importance, the genomics of E. ribes and the genus Embelia remain unexplored. In this study, the complete plastome sequence of E. ribes was determined and compared with those of 14 other plastomes from the families Primulaceae and Ebenaceae. The plastome of E. ribes spans 1,57,186 bp, and exhibits a quadripartite structure with a large single-copy region (86,681 bp), a small single-copy region (SSC; 18,248 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (26,093 bp). The plastome comprises 134 genes, including 89 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 37 tRNA genes, of which 19 are duplicated in the IR region. The comparative plastome analysis revealed a conserved structure and gene content across the family, with minor IR boundary shifts. Six hypervariable regions and 61 simple sequence repeats were identified and can be used as potential tools for species identification and population genetic studies. Phy logenomics supports a close relationship of Embelia with Aegiceras and Myrsine. The study provides the complete plastome data of E. ribes, contributing to species delineation, evolutionary relationship studies, population genetics, and conservation.hh.