DNA 'barcode' identified for plants

London -- British scientists have identified a so-called "bar code" gene that can be used to distinguish among most plant species on Earth.

The researchers from Imperial College London said the gene -- matK -- can be used to identify plants using a small sample and could lead to new ways of easily cataloging different types of plants in species-rich areas such as rain forests.

The study, conducted in collaboration with the universities of Johannesburg and Costa Rica, was designed to create a genetic database of the matK DNA from as many plant species as possible, so that samples can be compared and different species accurately identified.

"In the future we'd like to see this idea of reading plants' genetic bar codes translated into a portable device that can be taken into any environment, which can quickly and easily analyze any plant sample's matK DNA and compare it to a vast database of information, allowing almost instantaneous identification," said Vincent Savolainen of Imperial College London, who led the research.

The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.