Premium
Amplificación de ADN Nuclear y Mitocondrial de Marfil de Elefante Africano: Una Herramienta para Monitorear el Comercio de Marfil
Author(s) -
COMSTOCK KENINE E.,
OSTRANDER ELAINE A.,
WASSER SAMUEL K.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2003.00358.x
Subject(s) - african elephant , mitochondrial dna , microsatellite , biology , evolutionary biology , zoology , geography , genetics , gene , ecology , allele
The ability to extract DNA from ivory provides the basis for genetically tracking the origin of poached ivory and thus has important implications for elephant conservation and management. We describe a method to isolate and amplify both genomic and mitochondrial DNA from African elephant ivory that requires very small amounts of ivory taken from any location on the tusk. We pulverized ivory and isolated DNA with a modified QIAamp kit. Ivory as old as 10 to 20 years, stored at ambient conditions, was amenable to DNA isolation with this method. The isolated DNA was robustly amplified at 16 elephant microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial DNA loci. This method has important applications for the forensic analysis of poached African elephant ivory. It enables determination of where stronger antipoaching efforts are needed and provides the basis for monitoring the extent of the trade as well as the consequences of future international trade decisions.