Answer to Question #10215 in Molecular Biology for Karabo Maela

Question

What are RFLP's? How are RFLP's used to detect differences between two individuals?

Answer 1

RFLP is restriction fragment length polymorphism, a technique that exploits variations in homologous DNA sequences. It refers to a difference between samples of homologous DNA molecules that come from differing locations of restriction enzyme sites, and to a related laboratory technique by which these segments can be illustrated. In RFLP analysis, the DNA sample is broken into pieces (digested) by restriction enzymes and the resulting restriction fragments are separated according to their lengths by gel electrophoresis.
An RFLP occurs when the length of a detected fragment varies between individuals. Each fragment length is considered an allele, and can be used in genetic analysis.