It’s exiting to see the significant contributions barcoding has offered. A DNA barcode is a segment (sequence) of an organism’s DNA that we decode and then use to ID the organism quickly and easily.
The use of DNA barcoding to ID organisms has improved our ability to describe and understand the diversity of life. It has also allowed us to monitor illegal species trade through, for example, barcode testing of animal products in markets. Barcoding has also been the basis of fantastic educational programs. But why talk about barcoding here, in the contexts of human biology? First a little more background.
It was nine years ago when Dr. Paul Herbert and colleagues released papers proposing, for the first time, the concept of DNA barcoding for species identification. Those papers led to the first set of barcode meetings at Cold Spring Harbor, then the creation of several organizations— the Consortium for the Barcode of Life, the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL), the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding (CCDB), the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) and Quarantine Barcoding of Life (QBOL).
The type of DNA and genes used for barcoding varies across animals, protists, plants. bacteria, fungi and viruses. For animals, the DNA segment most commonly used is a section of the Cytochrome C Oxidase 1 gene of the mitochondrial genome. For plants, segments from genes like the rbcl and mat-k of the chloroplast genome are being used. For fungi, ribosomal genes are most commonly used. Bacterial barcoding often involves a combination of 6-9 genes. However, the development of DNA barcodes to identify viruses are not as far along. Yet it would offer the opportunity for rapid diagnostic viral testing of patients that could improve medical treatment and monitoring of disease spread since current available tests for the presence of viruses can be difficult and/or time-consuming (for some examples see http://virology-online.com/general/Tests.htm).
Barcodes of viruses would also help us create an effective monitoring system of pathogens (disease causing agents) in wildlife and wildlife products transported across our boarders each year. Such a monitoring system would help us track the movement of pathogens as described in the American Museum of Natural History’s “Wildlife Trade Presents Health Risks” bulletin.
While I focused on viruses, we can’t forget the benefits of properly and quickly identifying parasites and other pathogens including bacteria using DNA barcoding. For example, by using DNA barcoding to rapidly identify bacteria in our gut, we can understand how our microbiome (the multitude of microbes that live in our gut) affects our health and possibly, even our weight!
