VNTR Structure and Allelic Variation
In the schematic above, the rectangular blocks represent each of the repeated DNA sequences at a particular VNTR location. The repeats are tandem - they are clustered together and oriented in the same direction. Individual repeats can be removed from (or added to) the VNTR via recombination or replication errors, leading to alleles with different numbers of repeats. Flanking the repeats are segments of non-repetitive sequence (shown here as thin lines), allowing the VNTR blocks to be extracted with restriction enzymes and analyzed by RFLP, or amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and their size determined by gel electrophoresis.
Read more about this topic: Variable Number Tandem Repeat
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