ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with certain molecular biology techniques, which are being utilized in chromosome research. It outlines restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism. The chapter describes polymerase chain reaction and Chromosome Walking, the principles of the technology. The discovery of enzymes which can cut discrete sequences of DNA and the use of DNA fragments as marker probes of known sequences have made restriction fragment length analysis a powerful tool for mapping gene loci in chromosomes. After selecting the plants, DNA from each individual is extracted, digested with restriction enzymes and screened for polymorphism with the use of cloned probes. The sequence polymorphism of DNA forms the basis of DNA fingerprinting. Digestion of DNA with specific enzymes, agarose gel electrophoresis, membrane blotting and detection following hybridization with specific oligonucleotides as probes in hybridization have made DNA fingerprinting a very convenient and powerful tool for detection of sequences and their comparison needed in various aspects of genetic analysis.
