Characterization of the complete chloroplast genome of the Chinese yew Taxus chinensis (Taxaceae), an endangered and medicinally important tree species in China

The Chinese yew Taxus chinensis (Taxaceae) is an endangered tree species native to China, and possesses high medicinal values. To facilitate its conservation genetics studies, its complete chloroplast genome was characterized using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology in this study. The circular genome is 127,743 bp in length with an asymmetric base composition (32.6% A, 17.7% C, 17.0% G and 32.7% T). It harbors a total of 113 genes, including 82 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 27 tRNAs and four rRNAs. Gene duplication was detected for a couple of genes (trnG-UCC and trnQ-UUG). Besides, seven genes (atpF, ndhA, ndhB, ropC1, rpl2, trnK-UUU and trnL-UAA) harbor a single intron, and another gene (ycf3) possesses a couple of introns. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that T. chinensis and T. mairei are closely related to each other.