Question

What is a monomorphic marker in genetics? I understand polymorphic but cannot figure out how a single gentic marker comes into play? Examples?

Answer 1

Monomorphism and polymorphism are not genetic markers themselves but they are the types of bands obtained using some genetic marker.

Whenever we use any genetic marker we load our samples on a gel and analyze the different types of bands present on the gel.

After analysing the gel we see two types of bandson the gel monomorphic and polymorphic.

Monomorphic bands are the bands which are present in all the individuala and therefore cannot be used to distinguish between different individuals where as polymorphic bands are the bands which are present in few individuals and not all that we are seeing on the gel and are therefore, used to distinguish between different individuals.

For example, if in a gel we are running DNA for a plant and human being, then rubisco gene band will be present only on the plant side and hemoglobin gene band would be present on the only human being side and this two will be the polymorphic bands where as both of them will have genes for transcription factors as common which will be the monomorphic bands.

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