NEETZoologyMolecular Basis of Inheritance
What is the technique of DNA fingerprinting?
Options
- AThe isolation of satellite DNA
- BThe use of VNTR as a probe
- CThe separation of DNA fragments by electrophoresis
- DThe detection of hybridized DNA fragments by autoradiography
Correct answer
B. The use of VNTR as a probe
Step-by-step solution
The technique of DNA Fingerprinting was initially developed by Alec Jeffreys. He used a satellite DNA as a probe that showed a very high degree of polymorphism. It was called the Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTR). The technique, as used earlier, involved Southern blot hybridisation using radiolabeled VNTR as a probe. It included (i) isolation of DNA, (ii) digestion of DNA by restriction endonucleases, (iii) separation of DNA fragments by electrophoresis, (iv) transferring (blotting) of separated DNA fragment