ABSTRACT
The principle of RFLP lies in the comparison of profiles of cleavage by restriction enzymes following the existence of a polymorphism in the sequence of a DNA molecule in relation to another (e.g., the DNA of a father and his son). Mutations appearing on a DNA sequence recognized by a restriction enzyme cause different lengths of restriction fragments. The DNA of individuals to be compared is thus cleaved by one or several restriction enzymes. The products of restriction are then separated on an acrylamide or agarose gel in the presence of a molecular weight marker. The RFLP
observed is used as a criterion of identification. Through this approach, two individuals can present different restriction profiles.
