PCR-RFLP analysis of cpDNA in Gigantochloa scortechinii (Poaceae: Bambuseae) in Peninsular Malaysia and implications for the use of cpDNA markers in systematic studies

Gigantochloa is a paleotropical woody bamboo genus that has been widely cultivated in SE Asia because of its usefulness. Recent studies have shown that species of this genus enter into an introgression complex with other genera of the same subtribe Bambusinae. Within G. scortechinii, a common species indigenous to Malay Peninsula and common in Peninsular Malaysia, two distinct chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) lineages, the Gombak- and Langat-type, were recovered. We report the development of a PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marker for depicting the genetic differentiation in G. scortechinii based on cpDNA. We determined a cpDNA region and its corresponding restriction enzyme which can produce different RFLP profiles for the two cpDNA lineages. Our design was verified with empirical studies. The Gombak-type was the dominant cpDNA genotype for G. scortechinii in Peninsular Malaysia. Implications for the continued use of cpDNA markers in systematic studies are discussed.