The Detection of Plant Viruses in Korean Ginseng (Panax ginseng) through RNA Sequencing

Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a dicotyledonous, medicinal, perennial plant belonging to the genus Panax of the family Araliaceae. We investigated the occurrence and incidence of plant viruses in Panax ginseng in Korea. A total of 656 leaf samples were combined into one and total RNA was extracted from the polled sample, using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), a metatranscriptome analysis of the plant virome was conducted. The virus present in Panax ginseng was confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using virus-specific primers. In RNA-Seq data analysis, the multiplication protein of four viral contigs including Aristotelia chilensis virus 1 (AcV1), Turnip mosaic virus (TuMV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), and Tobamovirus multiplication protein were discovered. From our metatranscriptome analysis and RT-PCR assay, TuMV and WMV were detected, whereas the three viruses reported in China such as tomato yellow leaf curl China virus; panax notoginseng virus A; and panax virus Y were not found in this study. The distribution of domestic ginseng viruses seems different from that recorded in China. Overall, this is the first plant virome analysis of Panax ginseng in Korea.