Visualising DNA sequences
Robert Neely and colleagues have used a DNA methyltransferase enzyme to label the 5’-GCGC-3’ DNA sequences with a fluorescent marker. Immobilising and stretching the DNA on a surface then produces a unique and reproducible pattern when combined with the markers. The result is a ‘fluorocode’ - a simple description of the DNA sequence, which can be read and analyzed like a barcode. DNA barcodes using fluorescent tagging can be read quickly as labelled samples pass a detector, but Neely’s fluorocode gives significantly enhanced resolution and uses a much smaller number of DNA molecules.
Current DNA sequencing methods are able to sequence short regions of the genome. Regions that are either duplicated or deleted relative to a reference genome are an important cause of structural variation in the human genome with links to a variety of genetic disorders. But using current sequencing methods, studying these repeats is time consuming and labour intensive.
Original publication: Robert K. Neely, Peter Dedecker, Jun-ichi Hotta, Giedre, Urbanaviciute Saulius Klimašauskas and Johan Hofkens, Chemical Science., 2010.
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