State the role of VNTRs in DNA fingerprinting.
Role of Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTRs) Short nucleotide repeats in the DNA are very specific in each individual and vary in number from person to person but are inherited. These are the ‘Variable Number Tandem Repeats’ (VNTRs). These are also called ‘minisatellites. Each individual inherits these repeats from his/her parents which are used as genetic markers in a personal identity test.For example, a child might inherit a chromosome with six tandem repeats from the mother and the same tandem repeated four times in the homologous chromosome inherited from the father. The half of VNTR alleles of the child resemble that of the mother and half that of the father.
