Medicinal pteridophytes are an important group used in traditional Chinese medicine; however, there is no simple and universal way to differentiate various species of this group by morphological traits. A novel technology termed "DNA barcoding" could discriminate species by a standard DNA sequence with universal primers and sufficient variation. To determine whether DNA barcoding would be effec...

BACKGROUND The chloroplast trnH-psbA spacer region has been proposed as a prime candidate for use in DNA barcoding of plants because of its high substitution rate. However, frequent inversions associated with palindromic sequences within this region have been found in multiple lineages of Angiosperms and may complicate its use as a barcode, especially if they occur within species. METHODOLOGY...

To construct a DNA-linked RNase H, which cleaves RNA site-specifically at high temperatures, the 15-mer DNA, which is complementary to the polypurine-tract sequence of human immunodeficiency virus-1 RNA (PPT-RNA), was cross-linked to the unique thiol group of Cys135 in the Thermus thermophilus RNase HI variant. The resultant DNA-linked enzyme (d15-C135/TRNH), as well as the d15-C135/ERNH, in wh...

Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) is a large angiosperm family that includes many medicinally important species. The ability to identify these species and their adulterants is important, yet difficult to do so because of their subtle fruit morphological differences and often lack of diagnostic features in preserved specimens. Moreover, dried roots are often the official medical organs, making visual iden...

This study examined the potential utility of DNA sequence analysis to discriminate and identify plant material in forensic investigations. DNA was extracted from plant leaf fragments of 11 species stored for 5 to 22 years after collection. The trnH-psbA intergenic spacer and 316 bp of the rbcL gene were successfully amplified and sequenced for all fragments except for the trnH-psbA spacer of on...

Stelechocarpus merupakan salah satu genus anggota famili Annonaceae yang tumbuh di kawasan Asia-Pasifik. Sebagai tumbuhan kurang dikenal oleh masyarakat maka perlu adanya upaya konservasi karena jenis mempunyai banyak manfaat bidang farmasi dan kosmetika. Salah strategi mendukung yaitu dengan DNA barcoding masih sedikit informasinya untuk Stelechocarpus. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengevaluasi lo...