AFLP technology for DNA fingerprinting

The AFLP technique is a powerful DNA fingerprinting technology applicable to any organism without the need for prior sequence knowledge. The protocol involves the selective PCR amplification of restriction fragments of a total digest of genomic DNA, typically obtained with a mix of two restriction enzymes. Two limited sets of AFLP primers are sufficient to generate a large number of different primer combinations (PCs), each of which will yield unique fingerprints. Visualization of AFLP fingerprints after gel electrophoresis of AFLP products is described using either a conventional autoradiography platform or an automated LI-COR system. The AFLP technology has been used predominantly for assessing the degree of variability among plant cultivars, establishing linkage groups in crosses and saturating genomic regions with markers for gene landing efforts. AFLP fragments may also be used as physical markers to determine the overlap and positions of genomic clones and to integrate genetic and physical maps. Crucial characteristics of the AFLP technology are its robustness, reliability and quantitative nature. This latter feature has been exploited for co-dominant scoring of AFLP markers in sample collections such as F2 or back-cross populations using appropriate AFLP scoring software. This protocol can be completed in 2-3 d.