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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Mitochondrial Genome by Pyrosequencing
Published on: February 10, 2023
Species identification by means of pyrosequencing the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene
B Balitzki-Korte1, K Anslinger, C Bartsch
1Department of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany. Beate.Balitzki-Korte@gmx.net
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to develop a new method for species identification based on the analysis of a very short nucleotide sequence. For this reason, the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, together with the new method of pyrosequencing, was used. The detection of only 20 nucleotides, following the sequencing primer within a 149-bp fragment by pyrosequencing, was sufficient to identify the biological origin of the samples by alignment with a reference sequence database. A case example with a piece of skin is presented, and the question whether this piece of skin came from a missing wife or from an animal could be answered.
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