High-level diversity of dinoflagellates in the natural environment, revealed by assessment of mitochondrial cox1 and cob genes for dinoflagellate DNA barcoding.

ABSTRACT: DNA barcoding is a diagnostic technique for species identification using a short, standardized DNA. An effective DNA barcoding marker would be very helpful for unraveling the poorly understood species diversity of dinoflagellates in the natural environment. In this study, the potential utility for DNA barcoding of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase 1 (cox1) and cytochrome b (cob) was assessed. Among several primer sets examined, the one amplifying a 385-bp cob fragment was most effective for dinoflagellates. This short cob fragment is easy to sequence and yet possess reasonable taxon resolution. While the lack of a uniform gap between interspecific and intraspecific distances poses difficulties in establishing a phylum-wide species-discriminating distance threshold, the variability of cob

SUBMITTER: Lin S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2648164 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature