PCR-based Y chromosome marker for discriminating between golden jackal (Canis aureus) and domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) paternal ancestry

Abstract

Numerous reports of hybridization between wild Canis species and domestic dog suggest that hybridization between golden jackal and dog is likely. Here we present an assay of a Y chromosome marker for discriminating between golden jackal (Canis aureus) and dog (Canis lupus familiaris) paternal ancestry. Taking advantage of an insertion found in a dog Zfy intron haplotype but not in a golden jackal haplotype, we developed a three-primer PCR system in which species are differentiated based on the number of amplicons. Two amplicons are produced from domestic dog DNA template, while one amplicon is produced from golden jackal DNA template. Both amplicons can be analyzed in a single agarose gel electrophoresis run, while the longer amplicon also serves as an internal control. The method was validated using 27 golden jackal and 25 dog samples; all samples showed the expected amplicons. This simple and cost-effective method should prove useful for determining the direction of golden jackal–dog hybridization.