Sequencing mtDNA of the cave bear Ursus spelaeus from the Bavarian Alps is feasible by nested and touchdown PCR

Ancient DNA from bones of the extinct Ursus spelaeus Rosamueller et Hainroth, 1794 found in the Bavarian Alps has been amplified by PCR. Two out of five samples yielded a distinct band of 135 bp originating from the mtDNA control region. A combination of nested and touchdown PCR supported the amplification. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences revealed four transitions compared to the French cave bear sequence, the only cave bear data known so far (Genbank database X80259, AF121779). The consensus distant matrix tree clustered the two cave bears next to the brown bear Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758.