Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA, specifically the cytochrome b gene (cyt b), has become an essential tool for species identification. In the case of degraded samples, in which DNA is fractionated, universal primers, which are highly effective at amplifying the target region, are necessary. The materia...

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Main Authors: Aleksandra Figura, Magdalena Gryzinska, Andrzej Jakubczak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/22/3256
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author Aleksandra Figura
Magdalena Gryzinska
Andrzej Jakubczak
author_facet Aleksandra Figura
Magdalena Gryzinska
Andrzej Jakubczak
author_sort Aleksandra Figura
collection DOAJ
description Analysis of mitochondrial DNA, specifically the cytochrome b gene (cyt b), has become an essential tool for species identification. In the case of degraded samples, in which DNA is fractionated, universal primers, which are highly effective at amplifying the target region, are necessary. The material analysed in this study was a keychain made of bone, which was secured at a border crossing due to the suspicion that it was made of ivory. Due to processing of the bone and the likelihood of DNA degradation, five pairs of universal primers with different product lengths (from 148 to 990 base pairs) were used for species identification. Fragments of mtDNA from the cyt b and the 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA subunits were analysed. The analysis showed that only one pair of primers (L15601/H15748) enabled identification of the species, which is very common in samples with highly degraded DNA. The material was bone tissue belonging to the species <i>Bos taurus</i> (cattle). Species identification by molecular methods is extremely important in analysis of material when the species cannot be identified on the basis of morphological characteristics.
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spelling doaj-art-e070cb8f92d6421690e2f6bdc8df340d2025-08-20T02:08:00ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-11-011422325610.3390/ani14223256Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNAAleksandra Figura0Magdalena Gryzinska1Andrzej Jakubczak2Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, PolandInstitute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, PolandInstitute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, PolandAnalysis of mitochondrial DNA, specifically the cytochrome b gene (cyt b), has become an essential tool for species identification. In the case of degraded samples, in which DNA is fractionated, universal primers, which are highly effective at amplifying the target region, are necessary. The material analysed in this study was a keychain made of bone, which was secured at a border crossing due to the suspicion that it was made of ivory. Due to processing of the bone and the likelihood of DNA degradation, five pairs of universal primers with different product lengths (from 148 to 990 base pairs) were used for species identification. Fragments of mtDNA from the cyt b and the 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA subunits were analysed. The analysis showed that only one pair of primers (L15601/H15748) enabled identification of the species, which is very common in samples with highly degraded DNA. The material was bone tissue belonging to the species <i>Bos taurus</i> (cattle). Species identification by molecular methods is extremely important in analysis of material when the species cannot be identified on the basis of morphological characteristics.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/22/3256mitochondrial DNADNA barcodingcytochrome b12S rRNA16S rRNAspecies identification
spellingShingle Aleksandra Figura
Magdalena Gryzinska
Andrzej Jakubczak
Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA
Animals
mitochondrial DNA
DNA barcoding
cytochrome b
12S rRNA
16S rRNA
species identification
title Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA
title_full Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA
title_fullStr Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA
title_full_unstemmed Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA
title_short Comparison of Universal mtDNA Primers in Species Identification of Animals in a Sample with Severely Degraded DNA
title_sort comparison of universal mtdna primers in species identification of animals in a sample with severely degraded dna
topic mitochondrial DNA
DNA barcoding
cytochrome b
12S rRNA
16S rRNA
species identification
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/22/3256
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AT magdalenagryzinska comparisonofuniversalmtdnaprimersinspeciesidentificationofanimalsinasamplewithseverelydegradeddna
AT andrzejjakubczak comparisonofuniversalmtdnaprimersinspeciesidentificationofanimalsinasamplewithseverelydegradeddna