Eurlings Marcel C M, Lens Frederic, Pakusza Csilla, Peelen Tamara, Wieringa Jan J, Gravendeel Barbara
Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis, NHN, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9514, Leiden, RA, 2300, The Netherlands.
J Forensic Sci. 2013 May;58(3):822-30. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12072. Epub 2013 Mar 4.
Indian snakeroot (Rauvolfia serpentina) is a valuable forest product, root extracts of which are used as an antihypertensive drug. Increasing demand led to overharvesting in the wild. Control of international trade is hampered by the inability to identify root samples to the species level. We therefore evaluated the potential of molecular identification by searching for species-specific DNA polymorphisms. We found two species-specific indels in the rps16 intron region for R. serpentina. Our DNA barcoding method was tested for its specificity, reproducibility, sensitivity and stability. We included samples of various tissues and ages, which had been treated differently for preservation. DNA extractions were tested in a range of amplification settings and dilutions. Species-specific rps16 intron sequences were obtained from 79 herbarium accessions and one confiscated root, encompassing 39 different species. Our results demonstrate that molecular analysis provides new perspectives for forensic identification of Indian snakeroot.
印度蛇根木（萝芙木）是一种珍贵的林产品，其根提取物被用作降压药物。需求的增加导致了对野生植物的过度采挖。由于无法在物种水平上鉴定根样本，国际贸易的管控受到了阻碍。因此，我们通过寻找物种特异性的DNA多态性来评估分子鉴定的潜力。我们在印度蛇根木的rps16内含子区域发现了两个物种特异性的插入缺失。我们对我们的DNA条形码方法进行了特异性、可重复性、灵敏度和稳定性测试。我们纳入了不同组织和不同年龄的样本，这些样本经过了不同的保存处理。在一系列扩增条件和稀释度下对DNA提取进行了测试。从79份植物标本和一根没收的根中获得了物种特异性的rps16内含子序列，涵盖39个不同物种。我们的结果表明，分子分析为印度蛇根木的法医鉴定提供了新的视角。
