Background
During the last decade, DNA-based methods have changed
biological research dramatically. However, the scientific
community has not yet made the storage of DNA material in
natural history collections a matter of general routine. To
verify or continue molecular studies of an object, it is
currently necessary to contact the author or the institutions in
which the studies took place. With short term contracts and
rapid turnover of personnel, now the norm in scientific
institutions, it is often difficult or even impossible to access
original specimens or DNA samples. Thus, falsifiability of
results and original data - the foundation of good scientific
practice - can no longer be guaranteed. The lack of data
verification has been noted in several scientific publications
stating that up to 20% of the sequences in public DNA databases
are inaccurate or falsely annotated, with sometimes limited or
even no possibility of verification (Bridge et al. 2003).
Awareness about the importance of long-term storage and
safeguarding of DNA from the full diversity organisms for
scientific purposes has increased over the last few years. In
several countries and institutions worldwide, significant
efforts are being made to overcome this deficit (e.g. Royal
Botanic Gardens, Kew; Korean Plant DNA Bank, Missouri Botanical
Garden, Leslie Hill Molecular Systematics Laboratory at
Kirstenbosch, Jardin Botanico Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco Zoo,
Dallas Zoo, etc.) and DNA banks are being established.
Since October 2004, a DNA bank pilot project has been in
progress at the BGBM (www.bgbm.org/bgbm/research/dna/default.htm). |
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Bridge, P.D., Roberts,
P.J., Spooner, B.M. & Panchal, G. (2003): On the unreliability of published DNA sequences. New
Phytologist 160: 43-48.
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