Highly repetitive DNA markers have been used for determining the species origin of animal tissues in cases of illegal commercialization and poaching of game animals. This approach has been used in cases involving white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), moose (Alces alces) and black bear (Ursus americanus). Digesting the DNA with various restriction enzymes, agarose electrophoresis and staining with ethidium bromide revealed unique banding patterns for each species. These patterns have been used to distinguish meat from game animal species from commercial sources of meat and organs. Data are presented from two Ontario court cases that demonstrate the application of the procedure.
DNA fingerprinting has been used in investigations of 40 cases of infractions of hunting regulations involving white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and moose (Alces alces) in Ontario. In most of these cases, individual-specific DNA fingerprints obtained with the Jeffrey's 33.15 multilocus probe were used to link the animal remains found at the illegal kill site to blood and tissue samples of the dead animal associated with a suspect. DNA fingerprints from 27 white-tailed deer and 19 moose were obtained in order to establish the level of band-sharing in DNA fingerprints among unrelated individuals in each species. We also determined the levels of band-sharing among animals from the same region and calculated the probability of two individuals sharing the same DNA fingerprint. Details are presented from cases in which the evidence was presented and accepted by Ontario courts.
The first tandemly repeated sequence examined in a passerine bird, a 431-bp PstI fragment named pMAT1, has been cloned from the genome of the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). The sequence represents about 5-10% of the genome (about 4 x 10(5) copies) and yields prominent ethidium bromide stained bands when genomic DNA cut with a variety of restriction enzymes is electrophoresed in agarose gels. A particularly striking ladder of fragments is apparent when the DNA is cut with HinfI, indicative of a tandem arrangement of the monomer. The cloned PstI monomer has been sequenced, revealing no internal repeated structure. There are sequences that hybridize with pMAT1 found in related nine-primaried oscines but not in more distantly related oscines, suboscines, or nonpasserine species. Little sequence similarity to tandemly repeated PstI cut sequences from the merlin (Falco columbarius), saurus crane (Grus antigone), or Puerto Rican parrot (Amazona vittata) or to HinfI digested sequence from the Toulouse goose (Anser anser) was detected. The isolated sequence was used as a probe to examine DNA samples of eight members of the tribe Icterini. This examination revealed phylogenetically informative characters. The repeat contains cutting sites from a number of restriction enzymes, which, if sufficiently polymorphic, would provide new phylogenetic characters. Sequences like these, conserved within a species, but variable between closely related species, may be very useful for phylogenetic studies of closely related taxa.
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