|
|
Article: DNA Chips and Microarrays
- Article from:
- World of Microbiology and Immunology
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
DNA chips and microarrays
A
DNA
(
deoxyribonucleic acid
) chip is a solid support (typically glass or nylon) onto which are fixed single strands of DNA sequences. The sequences are made synthetically and are arranged in a pattern that is referred to as an array. DNA chips are a means by which a large amount of DNA can be screened for the presence of target regions. Furthermore, samples can be compared to compare the effects of a treatment, environmental condition, or other factor on the activity. One example of the use of a DNA microarray is the screening for the development of a mutation in a
gene
. The original gene would be capable of binding to the synthetic DNA target, whereas ...