title: Application of LightCycler polymerase chain reaction and melting curve analysis to the authentication of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Cimicifuga foetida.
abstract: DNA sequence analysis of rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and fluorescence melting curve analysis of LightCycler real-time polymerase chain reaction products were exploited for their applications in the authentication of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant Cimicifuga foetida from four substitutes: C. heracleifolia, C. dahurica, C. acerina, and C. simplex. According to the melting temperature--which is a function of the GC/AT ratio, length, and nucleotide sequences of the amplified product--C. foetida was differentiated from C. heracleifolia, C. dahurica, C. acerina, and C. simplex. Melting curve analysis offers a rapid and reliable method for the authentication of the traditional Chinese medicinal plant C. foetida.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biodiversity and Biogeography, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, P. R. China. chyxue@yahoo.cn
authors.forename: Chun-Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: De-Zhu
authors.initials: DZ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qing-Zhong
authors.initials: QZ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D031885:Cimicifuga / Q000235:genetics*; D021901:DNA, Intergenic / Q000737:chemistry; D018744:DNA, Plant; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000737:chemistry*; D005453:Fluorescence; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009711:Nucleotides / Q000032:analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D018744:DNA, Plant; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D009711:Nucleotides