Use PCR and a Single Hair to Produce a “DNA Fingerprint”

 

A. Malcolm Campbell, John H. Williamson, and Diane Padula

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 1997, Volume 18

Abstract

As a former student once commented, “PCR is the sliced bread of molecular biology”. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a process that allows an investigator to amplify a portion of a single piece of DNA into over one billion copies. We have used PCR with our Introductory Biology students to generate a simple “DNA fingerprint”. This exercise will outline all the steps required to generate a DNA fingerprint for each student during two lab meetings. This article covers the background information concerning the relevant techniques and the specific details required for students to isolate their own DNA from a single hair follicle, prepare their DNA for PCR, load an agarose gel, and analyze their DNA samples.

Keywords:  PCR, DNA fingerprint, forensics, hair, VNTR, D1S80, APOC2

Boston University (1996)