Restriction endonuclease fingerprinting of kinetoplast DNA minicircles

摘要

Hemoflagellates are characterized by restriction endonuclease digestion of the mitochondrial DNA to provide for substantial cleavage of the kDNA network. The resulting electrophoretic profile of the digest can be used as a restriction fingerprint for distinguishing organisms and specific strains. The kDNA is found to be sufficiently stable through numerous passages of the organism to provide a reliable fingerprint.