Using high-resolution melting to identify Calliphoridae (blowflies) species from Brazil

PeerJ

article

Pablo Viana Oliveira¹  Francine Alves Nogueira de Almeida¹  Magda Delorence Lugon¹  Karolinni Bianchi Britto¹  Janyra Oliveira-Costa²  Alexandre Rosa Santos³  Greiciane Gaburro Paneto¹ 

[1] Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo;Polícia Civil do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto Médico Legal Afrânio Peixoto;Centro de Ciências Agrárias e Engenharias, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo;Centro de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo

关键词: Forensic entomology;    Species identification;    DNA Barcoding;    BOLD;    Melting curves;    Diptera;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.9680

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

Forensic entomology is the study of insects and other arthropods used in the solution of crimes. Most of entomological evidences strongly depend on accurate species identification. Therefore, new methods are being developed due to difficulties in morphological identification, including molecular methods such as High-Resolution Melting. In this study, we reported a new HRM primer set to identify forensically important Calliphoridae (blowflies) from Brazil. For such purpose, Calliphoridae species of forensic importance in Brazil were listed and confirmed by specialists. Mitochondrial COI sequences of those species were downloaded from databases and aligned, and polymorphic variations were selected for distinction between species. Based on it, HRM primers were designed. Forty-three fly samples representing six species were tested in the HRM assay. All samples had the COI gene sequenced to validate the result. Identifying and differentiating the six species proposed using a combination of two amplicons was possible. The protocol was effective even for old insect specimens, collected and preserved dried for more than ten years, unlike the DNA sequencing technique that failed for those samples. The HRM technique proved to be an alternative tool to DNA sequencing, with advantage of amplifying degraded samples and being fast and cheaper than the sequencing technique.

【 授权许可】

CC BY