Abstract
DNA barcodes are regarded as hereditary succession codes that serve as a recognition marker to address several queries relating to the identification, classification, community ecology, and evolution of certain functional traits in organisms. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) gene as a DNA barcode is highly efficient for discriminating vertebrate and invertebrate animal species. Similarly, different specific markers are used for other organisms, including ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), maturase kinase (matK), transfer RNA-H and photosystem II D1-ApbsArabidopsis thaliana (trnH-psbA), and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) for plant species; 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), elongation factor Tu gene (Tuf gene), and chaperonin for bacterial strains; and nuclear ITS for fungal strains. Nevertheless, the taxon coverage of reference sequences is far from complete for genus or species-level identification. Applying the next-generation sequencing approach to the parallel acquisition of DNA barcode sequences could greatly expand the potential for library preparation or accurate identification in biodiversity research. Overall, this review articulates on the DNA barcoding technology as applied to different organisms, its universality, applicability, and innovative approach to handling DNA-based species identification.
Highlights
DNA barcodes represent short gene sequences that are drawn from a standardized part of the genome and can be used as a unique identification marker to recover and characterize species
According to the report of the herpetofauna of Germany in 2016, the success rate of the identification of mitochondrial lineages representing species via DNA barcode was almost 100% because no cases of Barcode Index Number (BIN) sharing were detected within German native reptiles and amphibians [50]
For the identification of forest plants, four plant barcode markers are evaluated as maturase kinase (matK), ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL), trnH-psbA, and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region—ITS
Summary
DNA barcodes represent short gene sequences that are drawn from a standardized part of the genome and can be used as a unique identification marker to recover and characterize species. A short mitochondrial gene that encodes cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1; 760 bp) has been reported as the standard and practical DNA barcode for the identification of many animal species. DNA barcoding has been regarded as the best strategy for segregation of commercial food products by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) [17] It is relevant for species identification in case of dead and degraded specimens when morphological characterization is in critical condition [18,19,20,21]. The primary focus of this review is to highlight the use of DNA barcoding for all wide range of tasks in the life sciences while to demonstrate its values in each discipline and to discuss the reliability and prospects of DNA barcoding
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