The Use of Polymerase Chain Reaction for the Amplification of a Gene Coding for Buforin I from Bufo marinus

Abstract

The emergence in recent years of strains of microorganisms that have developed a resistance to conventional antibiotics has stimulated the search for new naturally-occurring bactericidal and fungicidal agents such as these antimicrobial peptides. This study is a preliminary investigation in the growing research on antimicrobial peptides from our locally available frogs. Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to detect the presence of the gene coding for buforin I in Bufo marinus. PCR parameters such as the DNA template concentration and the primer annealing temperature were altered to optimize the production of a single PCR product. The molecular weight of the final PCR product matched the 232-bp theoretical value of the gene of interest. Based on the results of this experiment, the gene coding for buforin I is present in the local frog species, Bufo marinus.