Get Mitochondrial Dna Analysis Of Intraspecific Variation In The ... - Taxonomy Zoology Gla Ac

Mitochondrial have been used as a tool for forensic identification since 1993 [10]. Mitochondria contain 2-10 copies of mtDNA, and there can be as many as 1000 mitochondria per somatic cell.

The ratio of mtDNA to nuclear copies is high, which aids in its isolation and extraction from ancient samples. mtDNA is haploid in nature, and thus should evolve four times faster than the average nuclear gene. Hence, mtDNA can be used to track divergence in very closely related taxa and even within species [36].

mtDNA can be isolated from hair in the absence of nuclear DNA and is also easier to retrieve from low-quantity and/or degraded DNA samples, as it is present at many copies per cell, thus providing a clear advantage over nuclear genome-based methods of species identification19.

The mitochondrial DNA team examines biological items of evidence from crime scenes to determine the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence from samples such as hair, bones, and teeth. Typically, these items contain low concentrations of degraded DNA, making them unsuitable for nuclear DNA examinations.

Animal mitochondrial DNA is a small, extrachromosomal genome, typically approximately 16 kb in size. With few exceptions, all animal mitochondrial genomes contain the same 37 genes: two for rRNAs, 13 for proteins and 22 for tRNAs.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is haploid, maternally inherited, similar in nucleotide sequence among conspecifics from the same geographic region, and more suitable for species identification, in contrast to hypervariable DNA fingerprints.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis is used by forensic scientists when samples such as teeth, bones, and hairs without a follicle (root) are collected from crime scenes or disaster areas. MtDNA is also used when nuclear DNA is present in very low quantities or is highly degraded and does not provide a full STR profile.