Question

Among individuals in a human population, minor variations exist in nucleotide sequences of chromosomes. These variations can lead to gain or loss of sites for specific restriction enzymes. Which of the following techniques is used to identify such variations?

• A. Polymerase dependent fragment insertion
• B. Real-time polymerase chain reaction
• C. Restriction fragment length polymorphism
• D. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction

Hint:

RFLP is a powerful technique for detecting genetic variations at the DNA level, especially those that affect the recognition sites of restriction enzymes.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

The correct technique to identify variations in DNA sequences that result in the gain or loss of restriction enzyme sites is Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP). This technique is based on detecting differences in the lengths of restriction enzyme-digested DNA fragments. These length variations arise due to the presence or absence of specific restriction sites in the genome, which can result from mutations or genetic polymorphisms. Explanation of Options: - (A) Polymerase dependent fragment insertion: This term does not refer to a known technique used to detect sequence variations. It is not related to the identification of polymorphisms.
- (B) Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR): While RT-PCR is used for detecting gene expression and mutations, it does not focus on identifying variations in restriction enzyme sites.
- (C) Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP): RFLP is the correct technique, as it directly analyzes DNA fragments resulting from restriction enzyme digestion to identify genetic variations.
- (D) Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR): RT-PCR is used to measure mRNA expression levels and does not identify restriction enzyme site variations. Thus, the correct answer is (C) Restriction fragment length polymorphism.