Planta Med 2009; 75(8): 864-869
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1185397
Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Molecular Identification of Hypericum perforatum by PCR Amplification of the ITS and 5.8S rDNA Region

Caroline Howard1 , Paul D. Bremner2 , Mark R. Fowler2 , Belinda Isodo2 , Nigel W. Scott2 , Adrian Slater1
  • 1School of Allied Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, U. K.
  • 2Leicester School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, De Montfort University, Leicester, U. K.
Further Information

Publication History

received Sept. 5, 2008 revised Dec. 2, 2008

accepted January 19, 2009

Publication Date:
04 March 2009 (online)

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Abstract

The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences of eight Hypericum species were used to design H. perforatum-specific PCR primers by identification of short “microcode” sequences characteristic of the target species. These were tested with three vouchered H. perforatum DNA samples and eight samples from other species within the Hypericum genus. The most efficient primer combination, FO2 and HRI‐S, amplified the genomic DNA from all three H. perforatum samples but not from any of the others apart from H. delphicum. The primer pairing was then tested against seven commercially available ornamental varieties of Hypericum; a positive result was obtained only with the H. perforatum sample. Three consumer products retailed as “St. John's wort” herbal remedies were sampled, two of which gave a positive result for H. perforatum. The assay was sensitive enough to detect 0.75 ng H. perforatum present as just 0.1 % of the total DNA. This method has the potential to be replicated in other plant species and presents a novel use for DNA barcoding data.