Genomics Research: RAPD-PCR, Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA by Polymerase Chain Reaction, is a way to amplify portions of DNA of unknown sequence. This genotyping technique has the capability to characterize and distinguish members of the same family and has been successfully used in identification of bacterial strains and plant food sources, such as rice.

This research targets the ragweed plants, members of the sunflower family, Asteraceae. Ragweed pollen induces the seasonal allergic reactions of those who suffer from hay fever. As the ragweed genome sequence is unknown, we are probing its genomic nature with PCR. Several different primers are used to create unique RAPD-PCR profiles of the giant and common ragweed plants and their sunflower relatives. PCR profile comparison should permit unique identifications for the ragweed species. Sequencing the DNA of the RAPD-PCR products unique to the ragweed plants may enable functional identification through nucleotide database searching.