Morphological characteristics identification and molecular DNA barcoding analysis of Hippocampus spinosissimus / 中国中药杂志

The combination of morphological characteristics and DNA barcodes was used to a systematic study of Hippocampus spinosissimus,laying the foundation for rapid and accurate identification for the medical seahorse species. According to the reported literature and observation on seahorse samples,the typical characteristics of the H. spinosissimus include highly developed spiny,much short nose,single or double cheeks and strongly developed spines bordering pouch. Genomic DNAs of H. spinosissimus and other related seahorse species were extracted using the TIANamp Marine Animals DNA Kit. The COⅠ and ATP6 genes were amplified and sequenced in both directions. After the verification by Blast,the GC content,intraspecific and interspecific genetic distance,and the Neighbor joining( NJ) phylogenetic trees were analyzed by MEGA 7. The lengths of the COⅠ and ATP6 genes were 649 bp and 602-603 bp,respectively,with the average GC content of 39. 96% and 35. 37%. The maximum intraspecific genetic distances in H. spinosissimus based on COⅠ and ATP were both far less than the minimum interspecific genetic distance between H. spinosissimus and other seahorses,suggesting a significant barcoding gap. NJ analysis results of COⅠ and ATP6 exhibited that all H. spinosissimus species clustered together,indicating that the two DNA barcode could identify H. spinosissimus from other seahorses accurately and quickly. In addition,H. spinosissimus shared a close genetic relationship between H. kelloggi according to the NJ tree. Furthermore,there exits three stable subgroup structure of H. spinosissimus,indicating that COⅠ and ATP6 barcodes could be applied the indicator for the geographical ecology research of H. spinosissimus. The results obtained the typical morphological and molecular identification characteristics of H. spinosissimus,which played central roles for the development of species identification. This study provides an important basis data for expanding the medical seahorse resources and ensuring the safety of clinical medicine.

Pharmacognosy Identification of Hippocampus barbouri Based on the Combination of the Morphological Characteristics and DNA Barcodes / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To obtain the key identification information of Hippocampus barbouri (H. barbouri), investigate the pharmacognosy of the seahorse adulteration H. barbouri, using the combination of morphological and DNA barcoding technique. METHODS: Typical morphological characteristics of H. barbouri were studied based on the observations according to the previous reports and traditional pharmacognosy methods. Genomic DNAs of H. barbouri and other related seahorse species were extracted and the DNA barcoding genes of COI, 16S and ATP6 sequences were amplified and sequenced, respectively. In order to determine advantages of three barcodes for the identification of hippocampus, MEGA 7 was performed to analyze the intraspecific and interspecific distances and construct the NJ phylogenetic trees based on three different barcoding genes. RESULTS: The most typical distinguishing features of H. barbouri included the streak of the nose, five radial lines in the eyelid, and the long and short intervals of the tail thorns. The lengths of COI, 16S and ATP6 sequences were 649-650, 574 and 603 bp, respectively, with the maximum K2P intraspecific distances were 0.012, 0.003 and 0.003, respectively. The intraspecific distances of the three barcodes were far smaller than the corresponding minimum K2P interspecific distances of H. barbouri and other seven related seahorse species, existing an obvious barcoding gap. The NJ phylogenetic trees based on COI, 16S and ATP6 sequences showed that H. barbouri samples formed of a group indicating that H. barbouri could be distinguished from other seahorse species through the three DNA barcoding markers. In addition, H. barbouri showed close genetic relationship with H. histrix according to the NJ trees. Furthermore, the NJ tree structures of COI and ATP6 were more stable than that of 16S. CONCLUSION: The pharmacognostical investigation bases on the morphological identification and DNA barcodes obtained the key identification information of H. barbouri, providing the possibility for quick and accurate identification of this species. The COI, 16S and ATP6 barcoding genes can be used for further molecular identification markers for seahorse species. This study provides a new technical method for the development and quality control of hippocampus.