DNA Profiling: Theory and Practice

Of the vast range of techniques in use in modern molecular biology, DNA protiling is one of the more difficult to describe, primarily because the term “DNA Protiling” itself means very different things to different people. It is, in fact, a widely applied term that describes a number of technically diverse approaches to the study of hypervariable DNA This ambiguity is compounded by the fact that the term “hypervariable DNA” describes more than one fraction of genomic DNA The aim of this chapter is, therefore, to describe the common molecular basis of the varying forms of hypervariable-DNA analyses, and how this may be exploited for genetic identity and relationship testing, to examme the practical approaches available for such studies and their respective strengths and hmitations, and finally to look at the range of applications of each DNA-proliling technique