title: DNA barcoding of selected UAE medicinal plant species: a comparative assessment of herbarium and fresh samples.
abstract: It is commonly difficult to extract and amplify DNA from herbarium samples as they are old and preserved using different compounds. In addition, such samples are subjected to the accumulation of intrinsically produced plant substances over long periods (up to hundreds of years). DNA extraction from desert flora may pause added difficulties as many contain high levels of secondary metabolites. Herbarium samples from the Biology Department (UAE University) plant collection and fresh plant samples, collected from around Al-Ain (UAE), were used in this study. The three barcode loci for the coding genes matK, rbcL and rpoC1-were amplified. Our results showed thatT. terresteris,H. robustum,T. pentandrusandZ. qatarensewere amplified using all three primers for both fresh and herbaium samples. Both fresh and herbarium samples ofC. comosum, however, were not amplified at all, using the three primers. Herbarium samples fromA. javanica,C. imbricatum,T. aucheranaandZ. simplexwere not amplified with any of the three primers. For fresh samples 90, 90 and 80% of the samples were amplified using matK, rbcL and rpoC1, respectively. In short, fresh samples were significantly better amplified than those from herbarium sources, using the three primers. Both fresh and herbarium samples from one species (C. comosum), however, were not successfully amplified. It is also concluded that the rbcL regions showed real potentials to distinguish the UAE species under investigation into the appropriate family and genus.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, UAE University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Mohamed Rizk
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Enan
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, UAE University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Abdul Rasheed
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Palakkott
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, UAE University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Taoufik Saleh
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Ksiksi
keywords: DNA barcoding; DNA extraction; Herbarium; matK; rbcL; rpoC1