DNA Fingerprinting : State of the Science

The objective of this book is to equip forensic scientists, biologists, ecologists, geneticists, biochemists and molecular biologists with up-to-date, authoritative information on, and research perspectives in the field of, polymorphic DNA tandem repeat polymorphisms (DNA fingerprinting).

All aspects of the field are covered. Beginning with an authoritative general introduction to DNA fingerprinting, the book reviews basic knowledge, including the nature, genomic arrangements and variability of tandem repeated sequences.

The first selection also addresses new approaches to the study of genomic variability, including PCR with random primers and the new technique of capillary electrophoresis.

The second section deals with the application of DNA fingerprinting to concrete problems in our society.

It starts with a presentation of the new revolutionary technique of MVRPCR and a review of transcribed polymorphic microsatellites and their role in the etiology of important human diseases. This is followed by an extensive discussion of the controversial issue of the population genetics of tandem repeat polymorphisms and the utilization of DNA fingerprinting in paternity testing and criminal analysis.

The third part includes applications in the study of topics as varied as taxonomy, genetic improvement and population ecology in micro-organisms, plants, and animals, ranging from protozoa to primates.

The authors are the foremost experts in the DNA fingerprinting field.

By virtue of its scope and depth, this book answers a long-standing need for an authoritative text in DNA fingerprinting.