An Efficient PCR-RFLP Method for the Rapid Identification of Korean Pyropia Species

The present study utilizes polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis using partial plastid and mitochondrial gene sequences to distinguish the six representative species produced via mariculture in Korea. The , , and sequences of 15 species from the NCBI database were aligned to determine specific restriction enzyme sites of the six species. To confirm the presence of restriction sites of eight enzymes, PCR amplicons were digested as follows: a 556 bp fragment within the region of chloroplast DNA was confirmed in using I, whereas 111I, II, I, and AI enzymes produced fragments of 664, 271, 600, and 510 bp, respectively, from the region of mitochondrial DNA in , , , and . In the case of , III, II, and I enzymes each had two cleavage sites, at positions 174 and 825, 788 and 211, and 397 and 602 bp, respectively. All six species were successfully distinguished using these eight restriction enzymes. Therefore, we propose that PCR-RFLP analysis is an efficient tool for the potential use of distinguishing between the six species cultivated via mariculture in Korea.