DNA fingerprinting of red deer

Abstract

DNA was extracted from the blood of red deer (Cervus elaphus). After digestion with Hinf I, the DNA fragments were then electrophoretically separated in an agarose gel and transferred to a solid support membrane by Southern transfer. The membrane was then hybridised with a human minisatellite DNA probe (pFPP), washed and placed on an autoradiography film revealing so called "DNA fingerprints". Individual banding patterns were obtained for each deer, although the bands were not well resolved as a result of high levels of background within the lanes. The ratio of maternal: paternal transmission of RFLP's to the offspring was not calculated as some bands were obscured by the background. It was concluded that unique restriction fragment length polymorphisms can be detected in deer with pFPP, and that some of these RFLP's appear to be inherited in a simple Mendelian fashion. There are many areas where improvements to the protocols may have lead to more informative results.