Authentication of Medicinal Plants by SNP-Based Multiplex PCR

Highly variable intergenic spacer and intron regions from nuclear and cytoplasmic DNA have been used for species identification. Noncoding internal transcribed spacers (ITSs) located in 18S-5.8S-26S, and 5S ribosomal RNA genes (rDNAs) represent suitable region for medicinal plant authentication. Noncoding regions from two cytoplasmic DNA, chloroplast DNA (trn T-F intergenic spacer region), and mitochondrial DNA (fourth intron region of nad7 gene) are also successfully applied for the proper identification of medicinal plants. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites obtained from the amplification of intergenic spacer and intron regions are properly utilized for the verification of medicinal plants in species level using multiplex PCR. Multiplex PCR as a variant of PCR technique used to amplify more than two loci simultaneously.