Navigation Links
New DNA 'fingerprinting' technique separates hemp from marijuana

Using new DNA "fingerprinting" techniques, two University of Minnesota researchers have become the first to unequivocally separate hemp plants from marijuana plants with genetic markers.

Hemp, a crop grown for durable fiber and nutritious seed, and marijuana, the most abundant illegal drug of abuse in the United States, both belong to the species Cannabis sativa. They differ in levels of the psychoactive drug tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) but are otherwise difficult to tell apart. The technique holds promise for distinguishing different cultivars (domesticated plant lines) in U.S. criminal cases. It may also prove useful in countries where the cultivation of hemp is permitted but marijuana is illegal, as in Canada and Europe. The work appears in the March issue (volume 51, No. 2) of the Journal of Forensic Science.

The new technique is an improvement on previous means of separating the two types of Cannabis, said author George Weiblen, an assistant professor of plant biology in the university's College of Biological Sciences and College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. For decades it has been possible to identify THC chemically, but the drug is not present in all plant tissues or throughout a plant's life cycle. And other researchers have found that genetic markers known as "short tandem repeats," which are used to identify individuals in paternity and criminal cases, lack the power to distinguish Cannabis cultivars unequivocally.

In tests with three different cultivars of hemp and one of marijuana, the DNA fingerprints of all the cultivars were distinct and nonoverlapping. Weiblen and Shannon L. Datwyler, a postdoctoral associate who is now on the faculty of California State University, Sacramento, found that the AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) technique generated hundreds of genetic markers that together established separate identities for each of the four cultivars.

"We think this technique has the
'"/>

Source:University of Minnesota


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. New lab technique identifies high levels of pathogens in therapy pool
2. Brain-mapping technique aids understanding of sleep, wakefulness
3. Study reveals new technique for fingerprinting environmental samples
4. Researchers pioneer new gene therapy technique using natural repair process
5. Newer imaging techniques may lead to over-treatment
6. Gene silencing technique offers new strategy for treating, curing disease
7. Mosaic mouse technique offers a powerful new tool to study diseases and genetics
8. Researchers devise new technique for creating human stem cells
9. New technique rapidly detects illness-causing bacteria
10. New bioinformatics technique for systematically analyzing key regions in DNA that help control gene activity
11. New technique may speed DNA analysis

Post Your Comments:
(Date:11/25/2009)...5, 2009 Soil is the linchpin of the environment, ... Despite that, many students see soil as "just dir... science educators are challenged with the task of...tical importance of soil in the environment. , ...science teachers at University of Nebraska-Lincoln...
(Date:11/24/2009)...itute (LRI) today named 12 new grant recipients fo...ze innovative work across a broad spectrum of lupu..., novelty, and potential to drive scientific disco...mplex disease of systemic lupus. , The 2009 gran...s across the nation and include interdisciplinary ...
(Date:11/24/2009)...an College of Medical Toxicology (ACMT) have signe...f the Journal of Medical Toxicology (JMT), the o...10. It was previously published by the University...al Toxicology , an international, peer-reviewed jo...ractice of medical toxicology. The quarterly jour...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):It's not just dirt! 2Lupus Research Institute announces 2009 novel research grants 2Lupus Research Institute announces 2009 novel research grants 3Springer and the American College of Medical Toxicology to work together 2Give Shoes the 26apos 3B1 2 3 Test 26apos 3B During Back To School Shopping 54914 1Give Shoes the 26apos 3B1 2 3 Test 26apos 3B During Back To School Shopping 54914 2Give Shoes the 26apos 3B1 2 3 Test 26apos 3B During Back To School Shopping 54914 3LSUHSC research discovers new targets for treatment of invasive breast cancer 54910 1LSUHSC research discovers new targets for treatment of invasive breast cancer 54910 2Life Expectancy in U S Hits a New High 54906 1Life Expectancy in U S Hits a New High 54906 2Life Expectancy in U S Hits a New High 54906 3
...ying for more food at supper. Sadly, Margie Fische... at her family,s dinner table for years. Her daugh...PKU), a genetic disease that means her body can,t ... PKU is described by scientists as an autosomal re... deficiency in an enzyme called phenylalanine hydr...
...ain causes it to become asymmetrical, according to... Asymmetry in the brain is thought to be important...perate more efficiently. , Left-right asymmetry i...st evident at the time of early brain development....echanisms that bring it about. Now, in a study fun...
...through in treating premature babies at risk of de...Dr Maria Makrides from the Women,s and Children,s ... from the University of Adelaide has demonstrated ...-term infants via their mother,s breast milk or in... The findings were published today in the Journal...
Other Biology News:New drug holds out promise of normal diet for sufferers of devastating PKU genetic disease 2New drug holds out promise of normal diet for sufferers of devastating PKU genetic disease 3Game of two halves leads to brain asymmetry 2World breakthrough in treating premature babies 2
(Date:11/25/2009)..., BOSTON, Nov. 25 Biotech firm ... genomic data from the 1918 pandemic through the p...1N1 pandemic, today issued its latest biochemical ... lethality of the H1N1 ("Swine Flu") virus has dro...rus,s current outbreak in the spring of 2009 to re...
(Date:11/25/2009)...ARKHAM, ON, Nov. 25 /PRNewswire/ - Cytochroma toda... its Board of Directors. Dr. Moldt will replace Mr...e Company,s Board. The number of Board members rem...pleased to welcome Peter Moldt to the board and lo...uidance as Cytochroma continues to make progress i...
(Date:11/25/2009)...SAN DIEGO, Nov. 25 Ardea...y that Barry D. Quart, Pharm.D., president and chi...ffray 21st Annual Health Care Conference. , ,Pres...st Annual Health Care Conference,Date: Tuesda...ime,Location: The New York Palace Hotel, New York...
(Date:11/24/2009)... Ambassador to also Visit Detroit , ...- , , ,Who: David Appia, French Ambassador for Int... Invest in France Agency, , , , ,What: Ambassador...recent pro-business initiatives adopted by France ...mic landscape for innovation and development., , ,...
Breaking Biology Technology:Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 2Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 3Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 4Biological H1N1 Vaccines: Too Little, Too Late 5Cytochroma Announces Appointment of Peter Moldt to Board of Directors 2Ardea Biosciences to Present at the Piper Jaffray 21st Annual Health Care Conference 2
...,ICAD), an industry-leading provider of Computer-A...tion of cancer, today announced that John,DeLucia ...ssurance and,Regulatory Affairs, reporting to iCAD...ore than 25 years of medical device, in-vitro diag... key management position. Mr.,DeLucia has signific...
...Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AVGO), a late stage biot...stem therapeutics for neurodegenerative,diseases, ... Administration,(FDA) and will proceed with a Phas...the treatment of Huntington,s disease, pending fin...., A double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III c...
...dcast you,will learn about how plant biotechnology...ate stress., Climatic conditions such as heat or ...arvest turns out well or badly. Because whenever t...themselves in a stressful,situation, literally. On...farmer,s work goes far beyond the mere production ...
Other Biology Technology:iCAD Appoints John DeLucia as Vice President of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs 2iCAD Appoints John DeLucia as Vice President of Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs 3Avicena's HD-02 to Proceed to NIH Sponsored Phase III Huntington's Disease Trial 2Avicena's HD-02 to Proceed to NIH Sponsored Phase III Huntington's Disease Trial 3Avicena's HD-02 to Proceed to NIH Sponsored Phase III Huntington's Disease Trial 4BASF Podcast - Better Harvest in Spite of Climate Stress 2BASF Podcast - Better Harvest in Spite of Climate Stress 3
Goat Anti-T7 tag Polyclonal Antibody, Agarose Conjugated from GeneTex
Goat Anti-T7 Polyclonal Antibody, Agarose Conjugated from GeneTex
Rabbit Anti-Olfactory Receptor LS189744 Polyclonal Antibody, Unconjugated from Abcam
Rabbit Anti-C/EBPdelta Polyclonal Antibody, Unconjugated from Cell Signaling Technology
Biology Products: