In DNA profiling, after fragment separation, what is done with the patterns?

• A. DNA is amplified
• B. Fragments are sequenced
• C. Samples are preserved
• D. Patterns of bands are analysed and compared

Answer: (D)

After fragment separation, you interpret the result by analyzing and comparing the pattern of bands. Each band represents a fragment of a specific size at multiple loci, and by looking at which bands appear in a sample and how they line up with a reference profile, you determine whether two samples could come from the same person. This comparison is the key step that turns the fragment patterns into a conclusion about identity or relatedness.

Amplification happens earlier to generate the fragments, sequencing is not the typical next step in standard profiling, and simply preserving samples isn’t about processing the observed patterns.