What is a RFLP marker?

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Michael

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In AP Biology in High School, I am doing a pedigree lab which I use pedigrees and RFLP markers to find a chromosomal location of a disease causing gene. I have an unknown gene compared to a known section of DNA known as an RFLP probe. They will be used as inherited Mendellian traits. I must identify exact chromosomal location of the diease gene I was assigned.
 
RFLP stands for restriction fragment length polymorphism. I know...whatever. Its been awhile since I had to know this stuff, but you know the sequences on the RFLP marker and you want to use it to see if you can identify and map an unknown sequence of DNA, in this case, the locus of the disease causing gene. For this to work the RFLPs should have the complementary sequence as that of the disease causing gene. The use of RFLPs is sometimes called "chromosome walking". In theory the RFLP should adhere to an unknown but complementary segment of DNA. On a gel these would show up as larger fragments.
 
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