Discrimination of animal species using polymorphisms of the nuclear gene zinc finger protein 238

We screened 3750 single exonic genes listed in the intronless genes in the eukaryotes (SEGE) database and performed bioinformatic analyses to identify candidate genes for new species-specific markers. A set of PCR primers for the conserved regions of ZNF238 was developed and used to amplify the 823 bp DNA fragment. We compared nucleotide variations of the PCR products among 20 species plus two subspecies of animals, which led to the identification of interspecies nucleotide variations. To establish a simple method for the analysis of species-specific DNA polymorphisms using ZNF238, we developed a PCR-RFLP method using HhaI and HpyCH4IV restriction enzymes for 13 species. For the remaining species, the direct sequencing of PCR products provided additional SNPs, enabling precise species classification. As a result, we report here that a new nuclear DNA marker, ZNF238, can be used to increase the accuracy of species identification among euteleostomi (bony vertebrates).