Molecular barcode and morphological analysis of Smilax purhampuy Ruiz, Ecuador

Smilax plants are distributed in tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions in both hemispheres of the world. They are used extensively in traditional medicines in a number of countries. However, morphological and molecular barcodes analysis, which may assist in the taxonomic identification of species, are lacking in Ecuador. In order to evaluate the micromorphological characteristics of these plants, cross sections of Smilax purhampuy leaves were obtained manually. The rhizome powder, which is typically used in traditional medicines, was analyzed for micromorphological characteristics. All samples were clarified with 1% sodium hypochlorite. Tissues were colored with 1% safranin in water and were fixed with glycerinated gelatin. DNA was extracted from the leaves using a modified CTAB method for molecular barcode characterization and PCR was performed using primers to amplify the different loci including the plastid genome regions atpF-atpH spacer, matK gene, rbcL gene, rpoB gene, rpoC1 gene, psbK–psbI spacer, and trnH–psbA spacer; and the nuclear DNA sequence ITS2. A DNA sequence similarity search was performed using BLAST in the GenBank nr database and phylogenetic analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method according to the best model identified by MEGAX using a bootstrap test with 1,000 replicates. Results showed that the micromorphological evaluation of a leaf cross section depicted a concave arrangement of the central vein, which was more pronounced in the lower section and had a slight protuberance. The micromorphological analysis of the rhizome powder allowed the visualization of a group of cells with variable sizes in the parenchyma and revealed thickened xylematic vessels associated with other elements of the vascular system. Specific amplicons were detected in DNA barcoding for all the barcodes tested except for the trnH–psbA spacer. BLAST analysis revealed that the Smilax species was predominant in all the samples for each barcode; therefore, the genus Smilax was confirmed through DNA barcode analysis. The barcode sequences psbK-psbI, atpF-atpH, and ITS2 had a better resolution at the species level in phylogenetic analysis than the other barcodes we tested.