Species Specific AFLP Markers for authentication of Zanthoxylum acanthopodium & Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum

Abstract

Zanthoxylum acanthopodium and Zanthoxylum oxyphyllum, found in North East India, are commercially important due to its edible fruits and leaves containing essential oils used in cosmetics and perfume industries. These species have also been used by local population as ethno medicine. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to produce DNA fingerprints for two Zanthoxylum species viz. Z. acanthopodium, and. Z. oxyphyllum. Twelve collections (eight of Z. acanthopodium, four of Z. oxyphyllum) were used in the study. Six selective primer pairs were found to detect polymorphism. A total of 483 alleles were produced. Species-specific markers were identified in the two Zanthoxylum species (23 for Z .acanthopodium. and 13 for Z. oxyphyllum). The dendogram showed species specific clustering of two species. The AFLP markers developed in this study could be used to authenticate two Zanthoxylum species to resolve adulteration-related problems faced by pharmaceutical industries to supplement conventional drug assessment protocols. Keyword: DNA Fingerprinting; Z. acanthopodium; Z. oxyphylum; AFLP; Species Specific Marker.