Nuclear DNA
A human cell is made up of many components, but the information ‘hub’ of the cell, it’s ‘hard drive’, is the nucleus. It is this part of the cell that contains nuclear DNA. DNA is the information that makes up each individual, the vital instructions that determine who a person is, and are inherited from the parents. The mitochondria of a cell, different from the nucleus, also contains DNA, but nuclear DNA is distinct.
Nuclear DNA contains more of the specific, personal genetic DNA combination, or genome, than the mitochondria. Whilst Mitochondrial DNA is inherited from the mother's line, nuclear DNA is established at the point when a new human is formed; i.e it is passed sexually. This means it is a combination of both parent’s DNA, and therefore is specific to each individual.
As Chromatin, the combination of DNA, RNA and other nuclear proteins are all contained in the cell, it is possible to test individuals to see if they are related, or to establish their lineage, through examining the information contained in their Nuclear DNA. As it is made up of a combination of the biological parents, it is possible to establish true biological parentage by comparing the nuclear DNA samples of a parent and child. It is also therefore possible to take a sample from the nuclear DNA in order to search for a parent that may be unknown to the child by eliminating one of the combinations (for example the mother’s DNA, which is also verifiable through the mitochondrial DNA).
