SNP array: Difference between revisions

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In [[molecular biology]] and [[bioinformatics]], a '''SNP array''' is a type of [[DNA microarray]] which is used to detect [[Polymorphism (biology)|polymorphisms]] within a population. A [[single nucleotide polymorphism]] (SNP), a variation at a single site in DNA, is the most frequent type of variation in the genome. For example, there areis an aboutestimated 5-10 million SNPs in the human genome. As SNPs are highly conserved throughout evolution and within population, the map of SNPs serves as an excellent genotypic marker for research.

==Principles==

The basic principles of SNP- array is the same as the [[DNA microarray]]; which is the convergence of [[DNA hybridization]], fluorescence microscopy and solid surface DNA capture. The three mandatory components of the SNP arrays are:

# theThe array that contains immobilized nucleic acid sequences or target;

# oneOne or more labeled probes;

# aA detection system that records and interprets the hybridization signal.

To achieve relative concentration independence and minimal cross-hybridization, raw sequences and SNPs of multiple databases are scanned to design the probes. Each SNP on the array is interrogated with different probes. Depending on the purpose of experiments, the amount of SNPs present on an array is considered.