DNA Barcode-Based PCR-RFLP and Diagnostic PCR for Authentication of Jinqian Baihua She (Bungarus Parvus)

We established polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and diagnostic PCR based on cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes of Bungarus multicinctus, genuine Jinqian Baihua She (JBS), and adulterant snake species. The PCR-RFLP system utilizes the specific restriction sites of SpeI and BstEII in the COI sequence of B. multicinctus to allow its cleavage into 3 fragments (120 bp, 230 bp, and 340 bp); the COI sequences of the adulterants do not contain these restriction sites and therefore remained intact after digestion with SpeI and BstEII (except for that of Zaocys dhumnades, which could be cleaved into a 120 bp and a 570 bp fragment). For diagnostic PCR, a pair of species-specific primers (COI37 and COI337) was designed to amplify a specific 300 bp amplicon from the genomic DNA of B. multicinctus; no such amplicons were found in other allied species. We tested the two methods using 11 commercial JBS samples, and the results demonstrated that barcode-based PCR-RFLP and diagnostic PCR both allowed effective and accurate authentication of JBS.