Question

Which material is used for the isolation of DNA in fingerprinting technique?

Answer 1

DNA is the genetic material; which is present in the nucleus of every eukaryotic organism and in the cytoplasm of the prokaryotic organisms. DNA fingerprinting is the technique used to solve criminal cases and also it helps in establishing the paternity relationship between the individuals. It helps in establishing the link between the biological evidence and the suspect for the criminal cases.

Complete answer:
The process of DNA fingerprinting is a technique in which the identification and the analysis of the variations in various individuals are done on the basis of the DNA. This technique relies on the variations and polymorphism of the DNA sequences between the individuals as no two DNA can be exactly alike. This principle is used in forensic science to find out the suspects.

The isolation of the DNA can be done from nails, skin, fingerprints, hairs, blood, semen or any other cells or tissues from the body. The DNA from any of these samples can be isolated and extracted. Further, the quantitation of DNA is made. It is further amplified by the process of polymerase chain reaction. After the amplification, the DNA is run on the agarose gel so as to separate various segments. The DNA of the suspect is further matched with the one run on the gel. If it matches then the suspect is the criminal.

Thus agarose gel electrophoresis is used for the isolation and separation of the DNA.

Note: The DNA fingerprinting technique is used in various fields like palaeontology, archaeology, medical biology. This technique is used to find out blood relations, lineages etc. This technique is used to identify and protect various varieties of crops and livestock.