Species identification from genetic material with cytochrome b

Abstract

Cytochrome b gene has a genetic content preserved between animals and it is used especially for the vertebrate’s identification. In the forensic context it is specially used to determine the origin of non human samples. The sequencing strategy that was implemented in our laboratory, BigDey/BetterBuffer/XTerminator, allowed to reduce time procedures, improve quality of data and reduce significantly the cost per reaction comparing to other described methodologies. Using the program BLAST the obtained sequence is aligned and compared with sequences of the cytochrome b gene registered in a database (http://blast.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Blast.cgi). The aim of this study is the identification of several vertebrate animals to allow the resolution of eventual forensic cases in a shorter time than traditional methodologies and with lower costs