Isolation of binary species-specific PCR-based markers and their value fordiagnostic applications

Representational difference analysis (RDA), a technique for the isolation o f differences between highly similar complex genomes, was employed for isol ation of species-specific markers. These markers can be easily adapted for a high throughput PCR-based assay in which multiple specimens can be simult aneously identified based on the presence/absence of amplification products . One of the important features of RDA performed on genomes of different sp ecies (interspecific RDA) is its ability to preferentially isolate families of repetitive sequences that are unique to one of the compared genomes. Su ch families of repetitive DNA are homoplasy-free characters that can be use d for cost-efficient, mass identification of specimens in a variety of situ ations ranging from mark-recapture studies to screenings of egg or larval s tages. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.