Authentication of Stems of Dendrobium officinale by rDNA ITS Region Sequences

Abstract

The rDNA ITS regions of five Dendrobium species were sequenced. Each Dendrobium species was found to have a unique sequence in the ITS region, so that they could be easily distinguished at the DNA level. The aligned 644 bp of the ITS region includes 235 bp ITS1, 163 bp 5.8S, and 246 bp ITS2. One hundred and eighty-nine sites are variable. The sequences of D. officinale could be easily distinguished from the other four adulterant species according to the sequence variation at 11 sites, 7 in ITS1, 1 in 5.8S, and 3 in ITS2. These could be used as molecular characters to distinguish the stems of D. officinale from the adulterants.

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