Identification of goat cashmere and sheep wool by PCR-RFLP analysis of mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene

The efficacy of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis of mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene in identification of goat cashmere and sheep wool samples was evaluated. The specific fragments of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, which were about 440 bp, were obtained using the PCR. Restriction enzyme digestion of the PCR products with endonucleases BspT I and Hinf I revealed species-specific RFLP patterns. Application of this technique on mixed samples could identify goat cashmere and sheep wool from each other within the proportion of 8:1. The technique, however, could detect only one species when the proportion of mixture was more than 9:1. The PCR-RFLP technique was demonstrated to possess potential value in precise identification of goat cashmere and sheep wool.