MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF Juniperus GENOTYPES FROM GILGIT-BALTISTAN USING CHLOROPLAST DNA BARCODES - Rohma Nazir; Sajid ul Ghafoor; Aziz Uddin; Hamid Ali; Sajjad; Samman Iqbal; Muhammad Haris; Irfan Ullah (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2026)
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">DNA barcoding is a molecular identification technique that utilizes a standardized region of the genome to distinguish organisms at the genus and species levels. The current study aims to confirm and identify Juniperus species using chloroplast DNA Barcodes. A total of 16 samples were collected from various biodiversity-rich locations in the Hunza Valley, Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Pakistan. Among them, 4 samples were selected based on variable morphological traits for molecular confirmation. A total gDNA was isolated by CTAB method and confirmed through gel electrophoresis. Chloroplast markers (matK and rbcL) were used to amplify and sequence the targeted regions to confirm homology and resolving taxonomic uncertainties. Both the selected markers showed good results in amplification, and sequencing. While in molecular data analysis, various types of sites and domains were recorded in the form of conserved, variable, parsimony-informative and singleton sites. In phylogenetic tree analysis, the query species sequences shared a clade with Juniperus chinensis, Juniperus <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">communis,<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> Juniperus<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"> excelsa, <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">and Juniperus squamata with bootstrap values greater than 90%. In conclusion, this study provides one of the first molecular characterizations studies of Juniperus species specifically from the high-altitude zones of Hunza, GB. The findings contribute to accurate species identification and conservation efforts for these ecologically important <span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">Juniperus <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;">species.
Keywords: journal article; Genetic diversity; Himalayan flora; Conifer identification; Chloroplast genome