Cytochrome B (Cyt B)
Definition
A mitochondrial protein-coding gene widely used in forensic species identification before COI barcoding was standardised. Still used because its reference database for vertebrates is extensive and well-curated. Short-amplicon cyt b assays target fragments under 200 base pairs for use with degraded samples.
Related terms
- 16S rRNA
- The small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene in bacteria (~1,550 bp). The V3-V4 hypervariable region (~470 bp) is amplified with universal bacterial primers for...
- BOLD Systems
- Barcode of Life Data System (University of Guelph, Canada). Holds over 9 million COI reference barcodes linked to voucher specimens, with mandatory...
- Chain of Custody
- The documented chronological record of who collected, handled, transferred, and examined a piece of evidence. For digital evidence, chain of custody includes...
- CITES Appendix
- CITES classifies listed species into three appendices. Appendix I prohibits commercial trade; Appendix II permits trade only with documented permits and quota...
- COI (COX1)
- Cytochrome-c oxidase subunit I gene. The 658-base-pair Folmer fragment is the globally adopted barcode-of-life marker for animals, curated in BOLD Systems and...
- 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...
- ITS Region
- Internal transcribed spacer region, flanking the 5.8S rRNA gene between the 18S and 28S subunits in fungi and plants. The ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 fragment...
- Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
- DNA located in mitochondria rather than the cell nucleus. Present in hundreds to thousands of copies per cell, making it recoverable from...
- PCR-RFLP
- PCR followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. A restriction enzyme cuts the amplicon at species-specific recognition sites; the resulting fragment pattern...
- SILVA
- Curated ribosomal RNA sequence database (Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen). Provides quality-filtered 16S, 18S, 23S, and 28S reference alignments for...
- STR Profiling
- Short tandem repeat profiling: the same multi-locus PCR-based method used for human identity testing, adapted for target species with species-specific primer sets....
Explained in these topics
- Species Identification by Cytochrome-b, COI Barcoding and 16S rRNAA gene on the mitochondrial genome encoding a component of the electron transport chain. Its 350-400 bp diagnostic fragment is the standard molecular marker fo...
- Wildlife Crime and Biological EvidenceA mitochondrial protein-coding gene widely used in forensic species identification before COI barcoding was standardised. Still used because its reference data...