Molecular characterization
In order to provide a robust system for the molecular
characterization of fungi, there has been a concerted
international effort to assemble a comprehensive sequence
database using the agreed barcode for fungi,
the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS). An authoritative
set of reference sequences (RefSeq) down to the
rank of order with data on around 2500 species is now
available [14]. Sequence-based characterization has now
superseded earlier molecular approaches such as protein
electrophoresis of isozymes, restriction fragment length
polymorphisms (RFLP) and random amplified polymorphic
DNA (RAPD) which were being used into the mid-
1990s [15].