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Notes On Applications Of DNA Fingerprinting

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Published in: Biology
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DNA fingerprinting is used in a variety of applications all over the world. They can be used to solve criminal cases such as rape, used to conduct a paternity test, or even used to determine the authenticity of rare sports memorabilia. Whatever the case, it is evident that DNA fingerprinting has revolutionized the way the world identifies biological matches.

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  1. Applications of DNA Fingerprinting DNA fingerprinting is used in a variety of applications all over the world. They can be used to solve criminal cases such as rape, used to conduct a paternity test, or even used to determine the authenticity of rare sports memorabilia. Whatever the case, it is evident that DNA fingerprinting has revolutionized the way the world identifies biological matches. We will discuss a few examples of these applications and their importance below. Manet 1 SugiectA 2 Semen • 3 Susped B , 4 Vaginal e e Von 7 DNA Marker NOONA 10 use of DNA typotg to a Two hav• Ot Md a Ed DNA analyses have been cwlcymed various sænples from the and womm. Lanes S. vtd 9 contan marker 2 custaitts DNA trorn the blood ceas of A. Lane 3 DNA trom a sarnple wonm•s cbthitv 4 cmtans DNA from Of B. 6 DNA 00ton«j by the womm•s co-e (Too '*tie 0' vetim•s own ONA was present to detect.) 7 DNA trom blood ceh. 8 contains a convol DNA 10 is a no DNA Partly the bas'S Of *spect B was found guaty tt"te DNA fragments in 4 match the ONA in 3 vagina' S,wö in 6. Figure 5. DNA fingerprinting used to solve a rape case (Miami, 2004). One of the first accepted uses of DNA fingerprinting was in the investigation of sexual assault and rape cases. Detectives only had to match the DNA of the semen found at the scene of the crime with the DNA of any potential suspect to determine who was guilty of committed the crime. A DNA sample from the rapist could be obtained from a simple vaginal swab from the victim or any other semen that was released in the area during the assault. The figure-6 below shows how a DNA fingerprint can help determine who is guilty of a sexual assault. As seen from figure-5, suspect B (lane 4) is guilty of rape because his DNA fragments match that of the semen found on the victim's clothes (lane 3) and also in the vagina (lane 6). Suspect A (lane 2) is clearly not the rapist because his DNA fragments do not match the semen found on the victim's clothes or the semen from the vaginal swab. DNA fingerprinting is very useful in such an application because it provides the police with an exact match of who left evidence at the crimescene. Paternity tests are another application of DNA fingerprinting that has been incorporated around the world. In paternity tests potential fathers of the child have their DNA analyzed with the child and mother's DNA in order to see which of the potential fathers has the most DNA in common with the child
  2. in question. Figure 6 shows an example of a RFLP used to determine which potential father (Fl and F2) is the real father of the child (C). As you can see in the figure below, the second father tested (F2) seems to have more DNA in common with the child than that of the first father tested (Fl) 1 1 11 Figure 6. A paternity test using the RFLP technique (Paternity Test, 2005). Another application of DNA fingerprinting is a more recent method in molecular archeology. This method of archeology uses DNA to determine a species of an archeological discovery or to trace blood lines of animal or human remains. DNA may be extracted from biological remains, hair, teeth, body tissues, or even fossils. The best climates to preserve DNA are very cold temperatures and arid climates. Some examples of specimens from these types of climates are the "Tyrolean Ice-Man", who was found in the Alps, and the mummies of Egypt found in the dry desert. The ice man was found to be around 5300 years old, and DNA was extracted from the remains of his gut which found small traces of food that he ate (Ice Man, 2005). This was one of the most historic archeological discoveries in the last century. DNA fingerprinting is an important tool for archeologists to piece together information that links the past to us today. Figure 7 shows a picture of the "Tyrolean Ice-Man". Figure 7- The skeleton of a Neol ithic man found in the Alps in 1991 (Ice Man, 2005), DNA fingerprinting is even used in the world of sports collectibles. With sports collectors spending gigantic amounts of money to own a piece of sports history, there needed to be a way to validate the authenticity of the rare memorabilia. The memorabilia can be treated with a synthetic DNA smear, in which the item is coated with a secret DNA sequence where the original batch of DNA is then destroyed. The collectible can then be auctioned off giving the buyers assurance that the product is indeed authentic. This is just another instance of how DNA fingerprinting can be used in today's world.

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