We isolated and characterized 13 polymorphic microsatellite primers fromPerilla frutescensBrit. var.frutescensby using a modified method that involves one‐way PCR amplification with single primer prior to enrichment with an ‘oligo hook’. The efficiency of this procedure for isolating unique microsatellite sequences was approximately 77%. The number of alleles per microsatellite locus ranged from three to 10 with an average of 6.5 alleles per locus while fragment size varied from 156 to 298 bp. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.52 to 0.86 and 0.52 to 0.89, respectively. These newly isolated microsatellite markers are expected to provide valuable resources for different genetic studies currently underway in ourPerillagenome research program.

Plazaster borealis has a unique morphology, displaying multiple arms with a clear distinction between disk and arms, rather than displaying pentaradial symmetry, a remarkable characteristic of echinoderms. Herein we report the first chromosome-level reference genome of P. borealis and an essential tool to further investigate the basis of the divergent morphology. In total, 57.76 Gb of a long read and 70.83 Gb of short-read data were generated to assemble a de novo 561-Mb reference genome of P. borealis, and Hi-C sequencing data (57.47 Gb) were used for scaffolding into 22 chromosomal scaffolds comprising 92.38% of the genome. The genome completeness estimated by BUSCO was 98.0% using the metazoan set, indicating a high-quality assembly. Through the comparative genome analysis, we identified evolutionary accelerated genes known to be involved in morphogenesis and regeneration, suggesting their potential role in shaping body pattern and capacity of regeneration. This first chromosome-level genome assembly of P. borealis provides fundamental insights into echinoderm biology, as well as the genomic mechanism underlying its unique morphology and regeneration.

The wetland is an important ecosystem for purifying pollutants and circulating nutrients. Numerous microorganisms contribute to maintaining this function. We obtained Flavobacterium enshiense R6S-5-6 which was isolated from Ungok (Ramsar) Wetland and conducted whole-genome sequencing to investigate what contribution R6S-5-6 could make to the wetland community. The complete genome sequence of R6S-5-6 has a size of 3,251,289 bp with 37.68% of GC content. Gene annotation revealed that R6S-5-6 has several pathways to break down pollutants, including denitrification, assimilatory sulfate reduction (ASR), and polyphosphate-accumulating process. Furthermore, R6S-5-6 has genes that can have a positive effect on plants living in wetlands, such as storing essential nutrients, promoting plant growth, and protecting plants against pathogens.

Unlike otherCirsiumin Korea,Cirsium nipponicum(Island thistle) is distributed only on Ulleung Island, a volcanic island off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, and a unique thistle with none or very small thorns. Although many researchers have questioned the origin and evolution ofC.nipponicum, there is not much genomic information to estimate it. We thus assembled the complete chloroplast ofC.nipponicumand reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships within the genusCirsium. The chloroplast genome was 152,586 bp, encoding 133 genes consisting of 8 rRNA genes, 37 tRNA genes, and 88 protein-coding genes. We found 833 polymorphic sites and eight highly variable regions in chloroplast genomes of sixCirsiumspecies by calculating nucleotide diversity, as well as 18 specific variable regions distinguishedC.nipponicumfrom otherCirsium. As a result of phylogenetic analysis,C.nipponicumwas closer toC.arvenseandC.vulgarethan nativeCirsiumin Korea:C.rhinocerosandC.japonicum. These results indicate thatC.nipponicumis likely introduced through the north Eurasian root, not the mainland, and evolved independently in Ulleung Island. This study contributes to further understanding the evolutionary process and the biodiversity conservation ofC.nipponicumon Ulleung Island.

We report a complete genome of Pectobacterium brasiliense strain 21PCA_AGRO2 isolated from napa cabbage, in which the genome consists of a circular chromosome comprising 4,919,671 bp with 4,399 coding DNA sequences, 22 rRNA genes, 77 tRNA genes, and 9 noncoding RNA genes.