Combatting Illegal Trade in Animal Products by Rapid On-Site DNA Sequencing

通过快速现场 DNA 测序打击动物产品非法贸易

• 批准号: 2265854
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Leicester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2265854
• 关键词: Combatting; Illegal; Trade; Animal; Products

Illegal trading in animal products ranges from food substitution (e.g. the 2013 horse meat scandal), through to trafficking of high-value, CITES-protected, endangered species. Once stripped of species-specific morphological characters many products can only be identified by DNA testing. However, until recently this been costly and time-consuming, making it impractical for application in the field. Recent developments in third-generation DNA sequencing, the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION, offer the possibility of affordable and portable DNA sequencing at a food processing plant or customs post, providing rapid confirmation of species of origin and the option to seize illegal products and detain traders. This project will ask if a universal species ID test suitable for field use can be developed and validated, in partnership with Twycross Zoo and collaborators at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL). Experiments will focus initially on preferential sequencing of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA; molecular barcoding), using comparison with the BOLD & GenBank databases that already cover many species affected by illegal trade. Geographically, the focus will be on Mongolia, a key source and transit country for IWT, which is driving catastrophic declines across a broad spectrum of its wildlife populations. The student will gain a deep understanding of nanopore sequencing, novel targeted sequencing approaches and the development of sample preparation methods, as well as phylogenetic and evolutionary frameworks for data interpretation. They will learn about the role of science in conservation policy and the scenarios where a species identification test can play a vital role. The project will provide an opportunity to establish protocols that can be used as routine practice by non-scientists and to validate a test within a typical working environment.

动物产品的非法贸易包括从食品替代（例如2013年马肉丑闻）到贩运高价值、受cites保护的濒危物种。一旦剥离了物种特有的形态特征，许多产品只能通过DNA测试来识别。然而，直到最近，这种方法都是昂贵和耗时的，使得它在现场的应用不切实际。第三代DNA测序技术的最新发展，牛津纳米孔技术（ONT） MinION，提供了在食品加工厂或海关进行负担得起的便携式DNA测序的可能性，提供了快速确认原产地物种和没收非法产品和拘留贸易商的选择。该项目将与Twycross动物园和伦敦动物学会（ZSL）的合作者合作，研究是否可以开发和验证适合野外使用的通用物种ID测试。实验最初将集中于线粒体DNA的优先排序（mtDNA；分子条形码），与已经覆盖了许多受非法贸易影响的物种的BOLD和GenBank数据库进行比较。从地理上讲，重点将放在蒙古，这是内猎野生动物的主要来源国和过境国，内猎野生动物正在导致该国广泛的野生动物种群数量发生灾难性下降。学生将深入了解纳米孔测序，新型靶向测序方法和样品制备方法的发展，以及数据解释的系统发育和进化框架。他们将了解科学在保护政策中的作用，以及物种鉴定测试可以发挥重要作用的情况。该项目将提供一个机会来建立协议，这些协议可以被非科学家用作常规实践，并在典型的工作环境中验证测试。