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Planta Med 2001; 67(8): 784-786
DOI: 10.1055/s-2001-18341
Letter

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

A Molecular Marker that is Specific to Medicinal Rhubarb Based on Chloroplast trnL/trnF Sequences

Meihua Yang1, 2 , Daming Zhang1,*, Jianquan Liu3 , Junhua Zheng2
  • 1 Laboratory of Systematic & Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
  • 2 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
  • 3 Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qinghai, China
Further Information

Publication History

October 17, 2000

January 21, 2001

Publication Date:
09 November 2001 (online)

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Abstract

”Da-Huang” (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei, medicinal rhubarb), a famous and important Traditional Chinese Medicine, has often been confused with the adulterant species in the same genus, Rheum. Through sequencing the trnL (UAA)/trnF (GAA) regions of chloroplast DNA of thirteen species of Rheum (three medicinal rhubarb species and ten adulterant ones), a molecular marker of the medicinal species was found. A pair of PCR primers based on the sequences, was thus designed, which amplified a highly specific DNA fragment in medicinal rhubarb exclusively, and absent in the adulterants at all under an optimized PCR condition.

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Dr. Daming Zhang

Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany

Institute of Botany

CAS

Xiangshan

Beijing 100093

People's Republic of China

Fax: +86-10-62590843

Email: zhangdm@ns.ibcas.ac.cn