HOME ABOUT US SERVICES CROP MOLECULAR MARKERS LIST CONTACT US

DNA Fingerprinting and Intellectual Rights Protection

The primary building block of all living organisms is cellular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The unique arrangement of the DNA base-pair sequences translates into the production of proteins and enzymes, which cumulatively determine morphological phenotypes, including shape, color and biochemical production. Morphological markers to establish the identity of plant varieties are subjective and often influenced by gene interactions or environmental conditions. Isozyme markers are simple, but insufficient polymorphic bands and a limited number of detectable loci restrict their utility. On the other hand, the ranges and types of molecular-based DNA markers are limitless. They can produce higher levels of peppers variations and polymorphisms and are not likely to be subject to environmental influences.

DNA fingerprinting is a method of organism identification that compares fragments of DNA. Because every organism's DNA profile is unique, using this technique can uncover polymorphisms that are as unique as a fingerprint. Compared to phenotypic markers, such as leaf shape, flower colors and such, DNA fingerprints are not influenced by environmental factors and remain constant during the life cycle of the organism. The crowning utility of a DNA fingerprint is to enable examination of the extent of genetic variation (i.e. relatedness) within and among populations such as families, genera, species, cultivars (cultivated variety) and even sibling plants.

Ag-Biotech offers various comprehensive and reliable PCR-based DNA fingerprinting methods for variety protection to identify and reveal the unique molecular profile of your cultivar, which is required for an award of proprietary varietal rights. We apply various types of molecular markers in genome comparisons for variety identification, hybrid purity and trait purity analyses. Some of the DNA based markers that we use routinely at Ag Biotech include random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), cleaved amplified polymorphic DNA (CAP), sequence characterized polymorphic region (SCAR), simple sequence repeats (SSR), microsatellites, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP), and sequence-related amplification polymorphism (SRAP). These markers are useful for fingerprinting, identifying cultivated crop varieties and assessing varietal distinctness.

HOME ABOUT US SERVICES CONTACT US