Random amplification of polymorphic DNA: Difference between revisions

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{{for|the eye condition sometimes called Relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD)|Marcus Gunn pupil}}

{{Refimprove|date=June 2016}}

'''RAPD''' (pronounced "rapid") stands for ''''R'''andom '''A'''mplification of '''P'''olymorph'''i'''c '''D'''NA'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rvc.ac.uk/review/dna_1/5_RAPD.cfm|title=rDNA: Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA (RAPD)|website=www.rvc.ac.uk|access-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> It is a type of [[PCR]] reaction, but the segments of DNA that are amplified are random. The scientist performing RAPD creates several arbitrary, short primers (8–12 nucleotides), then proceeds with the PCR using a large template of genomic DNA, hoping that fragments will amplify. By resolving the resulting patterns, a semi-unique profile can be gleaned from an RAPD reaction.

No knowledge of the DNA sequence of the targeted genome is required, as the primers will bind somewhere in the sequence, but it is not certain exactly where. This makes the method popular for comparing the DNA of biological systems that have not had the attention of the scientific community, or in a system in which relatively few DNA sequences are compared (it is not suitable for forming a cDNA databank). Because it relies on a large, intact DNA template sequence, it has some limitations in the use of degraded DNA samples. Its resolving power is much lower than targeted, species-specific DNA comparison methods, such as [[short tandem repeats]]. In recent years, RAPD has been used to characterize, and trace, the [[phylogeny]] of diverse plant and animal species.