RT Journal Article ID 1909db2128a9a661 A1 Zhang, Wenjuan A1 Zhang, Xiaolong A1 Li, Minghua A1 Shi, Yan A1 Zhang, Ping A1 Cheng, Xian-Long A1 Wei, Feng A1 Ma, Shuangcheng T1 Identification of Chinese Caterpillar Medicinal Mushroom, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Ascomycetes) from Counterfeit Species JF International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms JO IJM YR 2017 FD 2018-02-05 VO 19 IS 12 SP 1061 OP 1070 K1 internal transcribed spacer K1 medicinal mushrooms and fungi K1 Ophiocordyceps sinensis K1 PCR-RFLP K1 quality control AB Ophiocordyceps sinensis is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine with a high market price. In this study, a polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment-length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method based on 2 enzymes was developed to distinguish O. sinensis from 6 common counterfeit species. To verify the applicability of this method, we experimentally tested O. sinensis organisms, tablet preparations made from O. sinensis, and cultured mycelia isolated from O. sinensis. To validate the results from this PCR-RFLP method, all real samples were identified by internal transcribed spacer sequencing. This is, to our knowledge, the first time the PCR-RFLP method has been applied to identify O. sinensis. The selection of 2 restrictive enzymes for identification dramatically improved the accuracy and efficiency of this method. It is the great advantage of this method that sampling from either of 2 parts of O. sinensis—the fruiting body or the caterpillar body—would not cause any difference in the final experimental results. Therefore, this method is not only feasible for testing crude drugs of O. sinensis but it is also useful when the crude drugs are broken down into powder or made into tablets, demonstrating the promising prospect of application in quality control. PB Begell House LK https://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,2dab30ba797125f4,1909db2128a9a661.html