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DNA Markers in Forensic and Diagnostic Science
Published in Hajiya Mairo Inuwa, Ifeoma Maureen Ezeonu, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Emmanuel Olufemi Ekundayo, Abubakar Gidado, Abdulrazak B. Ibrahim, Benjamin Ewa Ubi, Medical Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutics, Forensic Science and Bioinformatics, 2022
M. Y. Tatfeng, D. E. Agbonlahor, Ifeoma B. Enweani-Nwokelo, Ifeoma M. Ezeonu, Francisca Nwaokorie, E. A. Brisibe, D. Esiobu
The advancement in molecular genetics has laid the foundation for genomics studies. It has opened newer frontiers for the genetic improvement of crops and farm animals. These molecular signatures provide significant and accurate genetic information and better understanding of our biodiversity. A DNA or molecular (genetic) marker is a gene or DNA sequence with a known site on a chromosome and associated with a unique information or trait that can be used to characterize or identify individuals or species. In other terms, DNA markers represent a sequence, which may evolve from a mutation or alteration in the loci that can be noticed. Furthermore, they may be a short DNA sequence in which a single base-pair change (single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP) occurred, or a long one like mini and microsatellites and can be used in DNA-DNA hybridization, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or restriction mapping experiments for DNA profiling. Recently, great interest towards molecular markers has been on the increase as they reveal polymorphism at the DNA level that is valuable in animal genetics studies (Van and Rodgers, 1996; Gizaw et al., 2007).
Present and New Challenges
Published in Yongyuth Yuthavong, Sparks from the Spirit, 2018
Even without these new developments, plant genetics has already contributed to agricultural production through breeding of superior varieties assisted by the use of genetic markers. Management of farms for protection from pests and productivity can also be made through nuanced ecological approaches, such as biocontrol and the use of diverse species, rather than the crude use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. For example, many rice farms are using the fungus Beauveria and other fungi for insect control. Biofertilizers like the bacterium Rhizobium and blue-green algae have been in use for a long time, especially by small farmers. These biocontrol agents and biofertilizers can be made by the farmers themselves through appropriate technologies, which need to be promoted both at the farm and at the industrial level. We should also explore new food sources that can be produced sustainably from the biodiverse environment. In this respect, we can learn from sustainable food traditions of indigenous people in various parts of the world and learn to adopt some of the foods in a sustainable fashion. For example, many insects, some of which are agricultural pests, are eaten by local populations, serving a double purpose of both getting nutrition and getting rid of the pests.
Endangered Salares: micro-disasters in Northern Chile
Published in Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society, 2021
Cristóbal Bonelli, Cristina Dorador
During the period of Cristina’s research, the standard techniques for understanding and studying microorganisms were “culture-independent methods” (based on the study of the DNA or RNA from microbial samples). These methods produced descriptions of microbial communities by sequencing DNA through a process of cloning or direct sequencing of a genetic marker that would give an indication of diversity (e.g. 16S rRNA gene).