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What are the limitations of Sanger sequencing?
Posted May 2, 2023

Answer

Limitations of Sanger sequencing include: 

  • Inability to detect large deletions or duplications of sequences
  • Can only sequence short DNA fragments of about 300 to 1000 base pairs
  • Sequence quality is not very good in the first 15 to 40 bases as that is where the primer binds
  • Sequence quality degrades after 700 to 900 bases
  • Not suitable for parallel testing
  • Not suitable for sequencing large genomes
  • High infrastructure costs and high cost per test

Despite its limitations, Sanger sequencing is still a good choice when sequencing single genes or amplicon targets up to 100 base pairs, analyzing fragments or short tandem repeats, or identifying microbes.