| microsatellite | <molecular biology> Short sequences of di- or trinucleotide repeats of very variable length distributed widely throughout the genome. Using PCR primers to the unique sequences upstream and downstream of a microsatellite their location and polymorphism can be determined and the technique is extensively used in investigating genetic associations with disease. (18 Nov 1997) |
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| microsatellite repeats | A variety of simple di- (dinucleotide repeats), tri- (trinucleotide repeats), tetra-, and pentanucleotide tandem repeats that are dispersed in the euchromatic arms of most chromosomes. The dinucleotide repeat of guanine and thymine, (gt)n, is the most common of these dispersed repeats. (12 Dec 1998) |