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A Nucleotide Signature for Identification of Aglaia stellatopilosa Pannell

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Abstract

Members of the genus Aglaia have been reported to contain bioactive phytochemicals. The genus, belonging to the Meliaceae family, is represented by at least 120 known species of woody trees or shrubs in the tropical rain forest. As some of these species are very similar in their morphology, taxonomic identification can be difficult. A reliable and definitive molecular method which can identify Aglaia to the level of the species will hence be useful in comparing the content of specific bioactive compounds between the species of this genus. Here, we report the analysis of DNA sequences in the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA and the observation of a unique nucleotide signature in the ITS that can be used for the identification of Aglaia stellatopilosa. The nucleotide signature consists of nine bases over the length of the ITS sequence (654 bp). This uniqueness was validated in 37 samples identified as Aglaia stellatopilosa by an expert taxonomist, whereas the nucleotide signature was lacking in a selection of other Aglaia species and non-Aglaia genera. This finding suggests that molecular typing could be utilized in the identification of Aglaia stellatopilosa.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Sarawak State Government for funding this project. We also wish to thank Dr. Rita Manurung for her comments and support for this project. Special thanks to the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Traditional Knowledge Documentation Group for collecting the Aglaia samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, KM20, Jalan Borneo Heights, Semengoh, Locked Bag No. 3032, 93990, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Belinda Ling Nah Ng, Mariani Omarzuki, Gilbert Sei Kung Lau & Tiong Chia Yeo

  2. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK

    Caroline M. Pannell

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  1. Belinda Ling Nah Ng
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  2. Mariani Omarzuki
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  3. Gilbert Sei Kung Lau
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Correspondence to Tiong Chia Yeo.

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Ng, B.L.N., Omarzuki, M., Lau, G.S.K. et al. A Nucleotide Signature for Identification of Aglaia stellatopilosa Pannell. Mol Biotechnol 56, 671–679 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12033-014-9746-0

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