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