Open AccessLimited efficiency of universal mini-barcode primers for DNA amplification from desert reptiles, birds and mammals
Author(s) -
Ibrahim A. Arif,
Haseeb A. Khan,
Mohammad Al Sadoon,
Mohammad Shobrak
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
genetics and molecular research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 48
ISSN - 1676-5680
DOI - 10.4238/2011.october.31.3
Subject(s) - dna barcoding , biology , barcode , vertebrate , zoology , desert (philosophy) , species identification , evolutionary biology , genetics , gene , computer science , philosophy , epistemology , operating system
In recent years, DNA barcoding has emerged as a powerful tool for species identification. We report an extended validation of a universal DNA mini-barcode for amplification of 130-bp COI segments from 23 specimens collected from a desert environment, including 11 reptiles, five mammals and seven birds. Besides the standard double-annealing protocol, we also tested a more stringent single-annealing protocol. The PCR success rate for the amplification of the mini-barcode region was: mammals (4/5), reptiles (5/11) and birds (4/7). These findings demonstrate the limited utility of universal primers for mini-barcoding, at least for these vertebrate taxa that we collected from the Saudi Arabian desert.