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COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit I)

Definition

The primary barcode gene for the animal kingdom under the Barcode of Life initiative. A 648-bp region within the COI gene is the official BOLD barcode. COI is less used in vertebrate forensic work than cytochrome b but is standard for invertebrates, fish, and many other taxa.

Related terms

BOLD (Barcode of Life Data System)
A curated online reference database of barcode sequences maintained by the University of Guelph, Canada. Each entry includes a voucher specimen, taxonomic...
CITES
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, a multilateral treaty signed in 1973 now with over...
Cytochrome b (cytb)
A protein-coding gene in the mitochondrial genome used widely for vertebrate species identification. Its moderate mutation rate resolves most closely related species...
DNA barcoding
Species identification using a short, standardised region of the mitochondrial genome. For animals, the primary barcode marker is a 648-base-pair segment of...
Species identification threshold
The minimum sequence similarity percentage at which a database match is accepted as a species-level assignment. Forensic laboratories typically require 98 to...

Explained in

  • Non-Human DNA and Species IdentificationThe primary barcode gene for the animal kingdom under the Barcode of Life initiative. A 648-bp region within the COI gene is the official BOLD barcode. COI is...

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