Shotgun sequencing

In <a href="/facts/Genetics/bu8wne0A">genetics</a>, shotgun sequencing is a method used for <a href="/facts/Sequencing/ncpzobwG">sequencing</a> random <a href="/facts/DNA/nB89Iauz">DNA</a> strands. It is named by analogy with the rapidly expanding, quasi-random <a href="/facts/Shot_grouping/AKUN7KV0">shot grouping</a> of a <a href="/facts/Shotgun/tGxz1bqj">shotgun</a>.

The <a href="/facts/Sanger_sequencing/PzqMpaaM">chain-termination method</a> of <a href="/facts/DNA_sequencing/hsPsNCQW">DNA sequencing</a> ("Sanger sequencing") can only be used for short DNA strands of 100 to 1000 <a href="/facts/Base_pair/xmPpPQ9W">base pairs</a>. Due to this size limit, longer sequences are subdivided into smaller fragments that can be sequenced separately, and these sequences are <a href="/facts/Sequence_assembly/owEm30vn">assembled</a> to give the overall sequence.
In shotgun sequencing, DNA is broken up randomly into numerous small segments, which are sequenced using the chain termination method to obtain reads. Multiple overlapping reads for the target DNA are obtained by performing several rounds of this fragmentation and sequencing. Computer programs then use the overlapping ends of different reads to assemble them into a continuous sequence.
Shotgun sequencing was one of the precursor technologies that was responsible for enabling <a href="/facts/Whole_genome_sequencing/WNuHaU2K">whole genome sequencing</a>.

Shotgun sequencing open-in-new

Shotgun sequencing