Shotgun method


Shotgun methodsearch for term

A method that uses enzymes to cut DNA into hundreds (or thousands) of random bits which are then reassembled by computer so it looks like the original genome. The Human Genome Project shotgun approach is applied to cloned DNA fragments that already have been mapped so that it is known exactly where they are located on the genome, making assembly easier and much less prone to error. (http://www.netsci.org/Science/Bioinform/terms.html). Sequencing method that involves randomly sequenced cloned pieces of the genome, with no foreknowledge of where the piece originally came from. This can be contrasted with "directed" strategies, in which pieces of DNA from known chromosomal locations are sequenced. Because there are advantages to both strategies, researchers use both random (or shotgun) and directed strategies in combination to sequence the human genome. (wikipedia)