| abstract |
Abundant interspersed repetitive DNA sequences of the form (dC-dA) n .(dG-dT) n have been shown to exhibit length polymorphisms. The polymorphisms can be used to identify individuals as in paternity and forensic testing, and can be used to map genes which are involved in genetic diseases or in other economically important traits. The polynucleotide provided consists of a DNA fragment, preferably ≦300 base pairs in length containing one or more blocks of tandem dinucleotide repeats (dC-dA) n .(dG-dT) n wherein n≧6 and preferably ≧10. |