Genetic typing of mitochondrial DNA in sheep (Ovis aries).

Using PCR-RFLP and DNA sequencing, this study confirmed that HinfI polymorphism in the ovine mitochondrial COI gene resulted from the T-C substitution at the nucleotide 234 but this mutation did not encode another amino acid, which was actually a synonymous mutation. This single nucleotide polymorphism can be used as gene typing marker for mitochondrial genome in the research of the interactions between mitochondria and nucleus, extranuclear gene effects, and as molecular discriminating marker for embryo or individual in the research area of gene transfer and animal cloning.