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AAT Bioquest

What are the advantages of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) technique?

Posted June 4, 2024


Answer

Advantages of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Technique:

  • Useful for degraded DNA as SNP detection only requires sequencing of a short fragment
  • Abundance in the genome makes them invaluable in population studies and forensic casework 
  • Higher stability and lower mutation rates compared to short tandem repeats (STRs), making them more suitable for reconstructing pedigree/lineage and in kinship analysis
  • Because of the ability to amplify SNPs in short fragments, SNP analysis produces better results with degraded samples where the available DNA is fragmented or old samples with low-quality DNA template
  • Can be used as a complementary tool to STRs, increasing available information
  • Can be used in individual identification, lineage or ancestry studies, and phenotypic inference
Additional resources

Large-Scale Validation of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in Gene Regions

DNA and RNA Quantitation

Gelite™ Orange Nucleic Acid Gel Staining Kit