With DNA Electrophoresis, how can you tell which DNA are most similar?
becca asked:
For example of you were doing a maternity or paternity test? How could you look at the electrophoresis test and see from the results.
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For example of you were doing a maternity or paternity test? How could you look at the electrophoresis test and see from the results.
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dna paternity
For example, let’s pretend you had DNA from a child and two possible fathers.
Before performing DNA Electrophoresis, you would use a restriction enzyme to cut the three different sets of DNA into little pieces. The enzyme would cut after specific sequences which are different form person to person, but are highly conserved from parent to offspring.
You would then run each set of DNA on a gel, and you would be able to tell which two are the most similar by where the different little pieces end up on the gel.
Bigger pieces don’t travel as far down, while smaller pieces travel further.
Basically, you would look at the little lines (pieces of DNA) and the two sets that had the most little lines matching (horizontally) would be most similar.