ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE： To establish the method for PCR identification of bullwhip， and to identify the authenticity of bullwhip at the molecular level. METHODS： DNA samples of bullwhip and its counterfeits （donkey whip， pig whip， sheep whip） were extracted and their integrity， purity and concentration were detected. Using GenBank related information， using mitochondrial cytochrome b （Cyt b） gene of bullwhip as target gene， Primer-BLAST online software was used to design specific primer. PCR amplification was performed for whips of different species， and electrophoretic analysis was conducted for the product. PCR products of bullwhip samples were cloned and confirmed by DNA sequencing. The specificity and repeatability of the established PCR method were verified. RESULTS： DNA purity of the bullwhip and its counterfeits was high， and there was no protein or RNA pollution. 1.5％ agarose gel electrophoresis showed that there were obvious target gene bands of bullwhip samples at 200-300 bp， while no corresponding bands appeared in other counterfeit products. The results of DNA sequencing showed that the nucleotide sequence of the gene fragment of bullwhip was 100％ similar to that of the bullwhip in GeneBank. Results of methodological validation showed that established method was specific and reproducible. CONCLUSIONS： The established PCR identification method based on Cyt b gene in the study is simple， rapid， accurate， specific and reproducible， and can meet the requirements of analysis and identification of bullwhip and its counterfeits.