text: As far back as 1974, DNA sequence similarity was recognized as a valuable tool for determining relationships among taxa. Structural genes in general are more highly conserved due to functional constraint, and so can prove useful in examinations of more disparate taxa. Original analyses enriched samples for structural genes via hybridization to mRNA.
  More recent phylogenetic approaches focused on structural genes of known function, conserved to varying degrees. rRNA sequences frequent targets, as they are conserved in all species. Microbiology has specifically targeted the 16S gene to determine species level differences. In higher-order taxa, COI is now considered the “barcode of life,” and is applied for most biological identification.