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DNA extraction from dry wood of Neobalanocarpus heimii (Dipterocarpaceae) for forensic DNA profiling and timber tracking

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Abstract

Wood can be a good source of DNA for various applications in forensic forestry and timber trade if high-quality DNA can be retrieved from the dry wood. In order to provide a general guideline for DNA authenticity testing established for Neobalanocarpus heimii, this study was designed to evaluate the potential of extracting DNA from the dry wood. Overall, the efficacy of DNA extraction was higher for the cambium and sapwood than for the heartwood tissues. In terms of DNA extraction protocols, the Qiagen kit and CTAB with PTB protocol showed higher PCR amplification rates. In order to safeguard the intactness of the DNA, the DNA extraction from dry wood is recommended to be carried out within 6 weeks after felling for logs and 6 months after felling for stumps. The results also showed that the amplicon size might not account for the PCR amplification success rate, and chloroplast genome yielded higher amplification success rate compared with nuclear genome. However, only the chloroplast region can be perfectly retrieved from heat-treated lumber.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mariam Din, Ghazali Jaafar, Yahya Marhani, Ramli Ponyoh, Sharifah Talib, Suryani Che Seman, Nurul Hudaini Mamat and Nor Salwah Abdul Wahid for their excellent assistance in the field and laboratory. This project was supported in part by the e-Science Research Grant (02-03-10-SF0009) entitled “Development of DNA barcode of Neobalanocarpus heimii (chengal) as a tool for forensics and chain of custody certification” and the Bioversity International Agreement No. APO 05/016.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Genetic Unit, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, 52109, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

    Lee Hong Tnah, Soon Leong Lee & Kevin Kit Siong Ng

  2. Universiti Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    Subha Bhassu & Rofina Yasmin Othman

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  1. Lee Hong Tnah
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  2. Soon Leong Lee
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  3. Kevin Kit Siong Ng
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  5. Rofina Yasmin Othman
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Correspondence to Soon Leong Lee.

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Tnah, L.H., Lee, S.L., Ng, K.K.S. et al. DNA extraction from dry wood of Neobalanocarpus heimii (Dipterocarpaceae) for forensic DNA profiling and timber tracking. Wood Sci Technol 46, 813–825 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-011-0447-6

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