Question

What is DNA fingerprinting? Mention its application.

Answer 1

Hint:DNA fingerprinting uses chemicals to isolate DNA strands and to identify the unique parts of a person's genome. The samples are seen as a sequence of stripes that can be compared to other samples.

Complete answer:
DNA fingerprinting is a chemical test that reveals the genetic makeup of a human or other living organism. If two individuals differ, their DNA sequences should also be distinct, at least in certain areas. It is these variations in the DNA sequence that make each human distinctive in their phenotypic appearance.
DNA fingerprinting requires detecting variations in several particular regions of the DNA sequence called repetitive DNA, as in these sequences, a small volume of DNA is replicated several times. These repetitive DNA are separated from the bulk genomic DNA as distinct peaks during gradient density centrifugation. The majority of DNA is a large peak and the other minor peaks are referred to as satellite DNA. Depending on the base composition, the segment length and the number of repeat units, the DNA of the satellites is divided into various categories, such as micro satellites, mini satellites, etc. Normally, these sequences do not code for any protein, but they constitute a significant part of the human genome. These sequences display a high degree of polymorphism and form the basis of DNA fingerprinting.
Since DNA from all tissues, such as blood, hair follicles, skin, saliva, sperm, etc., displays the same degree of polymorphism, it becomes a very valuable identifying method for forensic applications. It can also be used to keep track of individual records. Furthermore, since polymorphisms are inheritable from parents to children, DNA fingerprinting is the basis of paternity testing in the event of disputes. It is also used to identify and research genetic diseases and in animal breeding.

Note:In terms of biological classification, DNA fingerprinting can help to identify evolutionary changes and molecular relations. It has the advantage of being able to be used even though only extremely small samples, such as tiny bits of preserved tissue from extinct species, are available.