Uses
Tandem repeat describes a pattern that helps determine an individual's inherited traits.
Tandem repeats can be very useful in determining parentage. Short tandem repeats are used for certain genealogical DNA tests.
DNA is examined from microsatellites within the chromosomal DNA. Minisatellite is another way of saying special regions of the loci. Polymerase chain reaction (or PCR) is performed on the minisatellite areas. The PCR must be performed on each organism being tested. The amplified material is then run through electrophoresis. By checking the percentage of bands that match, parentage is determined.
In the field of Computer Science, tandem repeats in strings (e.g., DNA sequences) can be efficiently detected using suffix trees or suffix arrays.
Studies in 2004 linked the unusual genetic plasticity of dogs to mutations in tandem repeats.
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