Mohammed Dakhil AlJohani
Bin Baz secondary High school, Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA
The demand for new pharmaceutical production sources has led to investigations of natural bioactive substances. Marine sponges harbor compounds with extensive antineoplastic activities. However, the sponge species diversity is preventing the full usage of these compounds because of its extensive degree of evolution and speciation that needs to be classified. The Red Sea is a unique environment and there is an urgent need to classify these creatures as it may lead to discoveries of new drug-producing species. The study aims to validate an identification barcode and test its efficiency in becoming a molecular taxonomic signature for Red Sea Porifera (the sponge Phylum). Which can aid the traditional taxonomic method in being a more precise and less time-consuming process. Porifera traditional taxonomy depends on morphological criterion (e.g. spicules and architecture properties). However, comparing morphological characteristics is highly variable and unsuitable for an unambiguous classification, thus making it difficult for taxonomic experts. The molecular method used the Cytochrome c oxidase gene sequence as a Porifera barcode. A Red Sea Porifera was obtained and DNA extracted, amplified and purified. The gene sequencing was then determined and analyzed through the NCBI BLAST database, ClustalX and MEGA5 software. Analysis of the molecular and morphological identification led to speculations of an unclassified species. Potentially, the faster we can identify these creatures the more likely we can discover more sources verified for these natural bioactive substances. Therefore, treatment of human diseases such as malaria, AIDS, and cancer can potentially increase.