DNA was extracted from 2 cyprinid fishes kept under formalin preservation in 2 different time durations and the quality and quantity were analyzed. The tissue samples from specimens preserved for shorter duration yielded higher quantity of DNA compared to long-term preserved tissues. | M. RAJA, M. MURALIDHARAN, M. ARUNACHALAM Turk J Biol 35 (2011) 331-336 © TÜBİTAK doi: Comparative analysis of DNA extracted from fish species preserved in formalin in two different periods Manickam RAJA, Murugan MURALIDHARAN, Muthukumarasamy ARUNACHALAM Sri Paramakalyani Centre for Environmental Sciences, Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Alwarkurichi – 627 412, Tamil Nadu - INDIA Received: Abstract: DNA was extracted from 2 cyprinid fishes kept under formalin preservation in 2 different time durations, and the quality and quantity were analyzed. The tissue samples from specimens preserved for shorter duration yielded higher quantity of DNA compared to long-term preserved tissues. ANOVA (one way) on the quantity of the DNA from the samples of 2 periods showed that the genetic material obtained from the recently preserved samples was highly significant (P > ). The quality of the genetic material irrespective of the period of preservation was found to be the same. The purpose of the study was to check the viability of extracting genomic DNA from formalin preserved fish specimens and to estimate the quality and quantity. Key words: Cyprinid fishes, formalin preserved tissue, DNA extraction, quality analysis Introduction Species and population genetic assessment requires a reliable source of biological material (1). Preserved type specimens labeled with accurate identity and locality in museums and national repositories serve as authentic materials for taxonomic studies. These samples have been used for taxonomic studies using conventional methods of morphometric measurements and meristic counts. However, recent advancements in molecular biology with approaches like DNA sequencing have opened avenues ranging from evolutionary biology to forensic science. Taxonomists and systematists can use genome analysis to work out the relationship within species and branching patterns, hence a molecular approach targeting the genes encoded .
