Abstract

Mentha is a genus of family Lamiaecae, and is well known for its great medicinal and economic values. It is widely distributed over five continents (excluding Antarctica and South America) of the world. In order to construct the phylogeny and to investigate the genetic variability among seven Mentha species polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) (CAPS) marker technique was used. Three chloroplast genes rps8, rps11 and rps14 were used to amplify from the chloroplast genome of sevenMentha species. rps8 gene was tested on broad range of annealing temperatures but no amplification was observed while rps11 and rps14 regions of Mentha cpDNA were successfully amplified and subjected to PCR-RFLP. For restriction digestion of the amplified PCR product, twelve different restriction enzymes were used and the resulting restriction pattern was resolved on PAGE. Comparison of Nicotiana tabacum and Mentha rps11 andrps14 genes was also performed. The data was analyzed by using the software numerical taxonomy and multivariate analysis system (NTSYS) pc version 2.01 showing considerable level of genetic similarity among the Mentha species. It was also found that Eam1104I andAlw44I based PCR-RFLP of rps14 gene could serve as a specific marker for Mentha spicataidentification and differentiation.

Key words: Mentha, polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), chloroplast genes, rps, phylogenetic analysis.