Duplex PCR Assay for Identification of Tissue of Cattle and Buffalo Origin Targeting Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Gene

The aim of this study was to develop PCR assay for simultaneous detection of tissues from cattle and buffalo in a single PCR reaction. Species-specific primers for cattle and buffalo species were designed through homology comparisons and alignment of partial sequences of Cyt.b gene from common food animals. The conditions for species-specific PCR amplification were optimized in terms of quantity and concentration of various components for PCR mix and annealing temperature for each set of designed species-specific primer pairs. The assay revealed the amplification of genomic DNA from cattle to amplicon size of 655 bp, whereas DNA template from buffalo to amplicon length of 249 bp. Simultaneous amplification of DNA templates from cattle and buffalo was observed in duplex PCR assay. Thus, the developed assay could identify the tissues of cattle and buffalo origin, detecting even both the species together and being advantageous over species-specific PCR.