title: A molecular marker that is specific to medicinal rhubarb based on chloroplast trnL/trnF sequences.
abstract: "Da-Huang" (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, medicinal rhubarb), a famous and important Traditional Chinese Medicine, has often been confused with the adulterant species in the same genus, Rheum. Through sequencing the trnL (UAA)/trnF (GAA) regions of chloroplast DNA of thirteen species of Rheum (three medicinal rhubarb species and ten adulterant ones), a molecular marker of the medicinal species was found. A pair of PCR primers based on the sequences, was thus designed, which amplified a highly specific DNA fragment in medicinal rhubarb exclusively, and absent in the adulterants at all under an optimized PCR condition.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Systematic & Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018744:DNA, Plant; D004340:Drug Contamination; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D017343:Genes, Plant; D005819:Genetic Markers; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012250:Rheum / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D005819:Genetic Markers