title: Comparative genetic analysis of trichome-less and normal pod genotypes of Mucuna pruriens (Fabaceae).
abstract: Velvet  bean (Mucuna pruriens) seeds contain the catecholic amino acid L-DoPA  (L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine), which is a neurotransmitter precursor and used  for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and mental disorders. The great demand  for L-DoPA is largely met by the pharmaceutical industry through extraction of  the compound from wild populations of this plant; commercial exploitation of  this compound is hampered because of its limited availability. The trichomes  present on the pods can cause severe itching, blisters and dermatitis,  discouraging cultivation. We screened genetic stocks of velvet bean for the  trichome-less trait, along with high seed yield and L-DoPA content. The highest  yielding trichome-less elite strain was selected and indentified on the basis  of a PCR-based DNA fingerprinting method (RAPD), using deca-nucleotide primers.  A genetic similarity index matrix was obtained through multivariant analysis  using Nei and Li's coefficient. The similarity coefficients were used to  generate a tree for cluster analysis using the UPGMA method. Analysis of  amplification spectra of 408 bands obtained with 56 primers allowed us to  distinguish a trichome-less elite strain of M. pruriens.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Division, Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Lucknow, India. sunita.dhawan@cimap.res.in
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Dhawan
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Rai
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Darokar
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: H O
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Misra
authors.forename: S P S
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Khanuja
mesh_terms: D005820:Genetic Testing; D005838:Genotype; D007980:Levodopa / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D031299:Mucuna / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D007980:Levodopa