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An improved and reliable molecular sexing technique for Asiatic black bears, Ursus thibetanus

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Abstract

We developed an improved and reliable molecular genetics technique for sexing Asiatic black bear, Ursus thibetanus. Individual sex determination based on differential banding patterns of SRY and Amelogenin genes were taken advantageously to perform a duplex PCR and sexes were correctly assigned to known and unknown individuals using capillary electrophoresis. Molecular sexing based on fluorescent labeled primers was also found to be appropriate for non-invasive samples, and raised the applicability of multiplexing with microsatellites.

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to Director, Dean and Research Coordinator, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun for their encouragement and support. This study was an outcome of the Research Grant provided by the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA). The Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir is thanked for granting necessary permission and support during the field work. Mukesh acknowledges the support received from colleagues in the lab.

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Correspondence to Mukesh or S. Sathyakumar.

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Mukesh, Sharma, L.K., Charoo, S.A. et al. An improved and reliable molecular sexing technique for Asiatic black bears, Ursus thibetanus . Conservation Genet Resour 5, 1079–1082 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-013-9988-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-013-9988-3

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