We describe a primer pair that amplifies a 203 base pair fragment containing 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the cytochrome b region of the mitochondrial DNA that, when sequenced, conclusively distinguishes Washington state gray wolves from domestic dogs. The method is more efficient and cost-effective than other established methods for genetically distinguishing domestic dogs from gray wolves when using potentially degraded scat samples. Further testing may find that the SNP panel is also applicable to studies in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as these wolves belong to the same distinct population segment as Washington state gray wolves.

中文翻译：

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区分家犬与华盛顿州灰狼的线粒体DNA标记的开发

我们描述了一种引物对，该引物对可扩增包含4个单核苷酸多态性（SNP）的线粒体DNA的 细胞色素b 区域内的203个碱基对片段 ，测序后可最终将华盛顿州的灰狼与家犬区分开。当使用潜在降解的粪便样本时，该方法比其他已建立的方法在遗传上区分家犬和灰狼的方法更加有效和具有成本效益。进一步的测试可能会发现，SNP小组也适用于俄勒冈州，爱达荷州，蒙大拿州和怀俄明州的研究，因为这些狼与华盛顿州的灰狼属于相同的不同人群。