Assessment of Taxonomic Relationship Between Some Taxa of Clinopodium, Hymenocrater. and Melissa of Lamiaceae in Iraqi Kurdistan Region using RAPD Marker

Abstract

To resolve genetic relationships among traditionally recognized taxa at the molecular level, , Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA( RAPD) marker was used for Taxonomic relationship and genetic diversity among six taxa of Lamiaceae family including four taxa of Clinopodium (C. vulgare subsp. vulgare, C. congstum, and C. umbrosum) and two taxa of Hymenocrater (H. longiflorus, H. bitiominosus) and one of (Melissa Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis) some were described for the first time in Kurdistan region of Iraq. DNA was extracted from the leaves of these taxa, using a modified protocol because these kinds of plants are having polyphenols and other secondary metabolites which directly or indirectly interfere with the enzymatic reactions. Only five primers from the ten universal primers of RAPD analysis gave reproducible polymorphic bands among the studied taxa . Out of thirty bands produced seventeen were monomorphic and the rest were polymorphic, which can be used to discriminate between the studied taxa. There were monomorphic bands within the species of the genus Clinopodium which shared all the amplified products (except one) using the ten primers in this study. The presence of specific band in any taxa , indicates the genetic distinctness of them so as the missing bands in one taxa , which may be used in the taxa differentiation. Species of Hymenocrater have the most sharing bands and discriminating from the other studied genera using RAPD marker and so was Melissa officinalis subsp. officinalis, which have unique profile and discriminated from the other studied taxa using RAPD marker.