Abstract
Wogon-Sugi has been reported as a cytoplasmically inherited virescent mutant selected from the horticultural variety of Cryptomeria japonica. It characteristically forms new yellowish-white leaves in spring that gradually change to normal green in late summer. Although previous studies of plastid structures and inheritance indicated that at least some mutations are encoded by the chloroplast genome, the causative gene responsible for the primary chlorophyll deficiency trait in Wogon-Sugi has not been identified. In this study, we used both genomic sequencing of chloroplast DNA and genetic analysis to identify this gene in Wogon-Sugi. Chloroplast DNA sequencing of wild-type and Wogon-Sugi plants showed a 19-bp insertional sequence in the matK coding region in the Wogon-Sugi chloroplast genome. Therefore, the 19-bp insertional mutation of the matK coding region appears to be the specific mutation in Wogon-Sugi that is associated with the chlorophyll deficiency trait.
