AUTHOR=Li Ping , Li Dong , Hong Yuling , Chen Mingyang , Zhang Xia , Hu Liu , Liu Chunsheng 

TITLE=Combining DNA Mini-Barcoding and Species-Specific Primers PCR Technology for Identification of Heosemys grandis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.822871

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2022.822871

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Heosemys grandis</italic>, a species of Asian water turtle, that has a wide range of applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Since some processed products cannot be identified exclusively by morphological and microscopic identification, a reliable and quick approach to guarantee authenticity is critical. Thus, we fostered an effective and stable molecular identification system to identify <italic>Heosemys grandis</italic> based on DNA mini-barcoding and species-specific primers PCR technology. A total of 48 turtle samples from 16 different species were collected. To distinguish <italic>Heosemys grandis</italic> from its counterfeits, DNA mini-barcoding and a pair of species-specific primers were designed and verified by PCR after analyzing the COI sequences of samples. The results showed that only <italic>Heosemys grandis</italic> samples could generate a single clear band following amplification using species-specific primers. Employing DNA mini-barcoding to amplify samples can verify authenticity by sequence alignment. These findings indicated that species-specific primers PCR technology combined with DNA mini-barcoding could accurately detect the authenticity of <italic>Heosemys grandis</italic>. This technology broadens the application of molecular biology techniques in the food and pharmaceutical industries. It provides a reliable and convenient method for identifying raw materials to standardize the market and protect customers’ rights and interests.</p>