title: Truly hypervariable DNA fingerprints due to exceptionally high mutation rates.
abstract: The power of DNA fingerprinting is due to comparatively high mutation rates of minisatellite and microsatellite DNA sequences. Studying the mating system of a parrot species (Burrowing Parrots, Cyanoliseus patagonus) using oligonucleotide probes, we observed mutation rates that are several orders of magnitude higher than those described anywhere in the literature. Most plausibly, the respective values are based on 3-4 loci with mutation rates of up to 100%.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität, Bonn, Germany. t.lubjuhn@uni-bonn.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lubjuhn
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sramkova
authors.forename: Juan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Masello
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Quillfeldt
authors.forename: Jörg Thomas
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Epplen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D007700:Kinetics; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D009154:Mutation; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D010311:Parrots / Q000235:genetics*; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal