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NGS Vs Sanger
NGS Vs Sanger
NGS Vs Sanger
Genetics in the
July 2, 2019
News
Books The ability to read the sequence of DNA code has revolutionized biology in recent
decades. It has led to massive insights in the understanding of biology and
Courses disease.
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As scientists have improved on sequencing techniques, it has become even
Links cheaper and easier to read DNA sequences. With falling costs has come an
explosion in demand: DNA sequencing is now a routine tool used in laboratories
around the world.
A Handy Guide to
Ancestry and Let’s see how Sanger sequencing compares to more recent methods (Next
Relationship DNA Generation Sequencing, NGS).
Tests
What is Sanger sequencing?
Sanger sequencing was first developed by Frederick Sanger in the 1970s. It was
the first sequencing method to be commercialized, and it is still widely used
today.
Click here to order our Most sequencing techniques, including Sanger methods, are based on the natural
latest book, A Handy process used by a cell to copy its DNA.
Guide to Ancestry and
When a cell copies its DNA, it uses a special enzyme called polymerase. First,
Relationship DNA Tests
the cell unwinds its DNA into two separate single strands. Polymerase binds to
this single stranded DNA and fills in one base at a time. As it adds the
nucleotides (dNTPs; A, T, G, or C), it fills in the single-stranded DNA to be a full
piece of double-stranded DNA. (Read more about DNA replication here.)
Scientists figured out that you can use this process to copy any piece of DNA in a
test tube. Through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) it’s possible to make lots
and lots of copies of any DNA sequence! (Read more about PCR here.)
Sanger Sequencing is based on PCR. If you can read each DNA letter as it’s
added, you can figure out what the sequence is.
To do this, we’ll need to control the DNA replication process. Ideally, something
with a label that can easily show which base is added.
This small change makes a big difference. It removes the attachment place for
new DNA bases! Polymerase can add these special bases to a growing strand of
DNA. But once it’s added, the chain is stopped. That’s why they’re often called
chain-terminating nucleotides.
These chain-terminating bases are also labeled with dyes. Each base (A, T, C, G)
will have a different color. This lets us see exactly which one is added.
For example, let’s say we’re trying to sequence this piece of DNA: ATGACTCG.
If a chain-terminating ‘A’ base is incorporated to the DNA, the reaction will stop
at the ‘A’ positions. So we have fragments: A and ATGA.
Similarly, if a special ‘G’ base is incorporated, the reaction will stop at the ‘G’
positions. So we have: ATG and ATGACTCG.
These fragments are then separated by size by a long glass capillary filled with
gel. The speed at which these fragments move in the gel is dependent on their
size. The longer the fragment, the slower it moves.
At the end of the capillary, there is a light sensor that detects the color emitted
from the chain-terminating nucleotide. A computer program will then process the
signals and then generate the sequence.
The most commonly used method is developed by Illumina. While there are
other methods, that’s the one I’ll focus on here.
But unlike Sanger Sequencing, NGS methods can sequence an entire genome’s
worth of DNA in one experiment. It can do this by running millions of PCRs at the
same time, and looking at which base is added in each of those independent
reactions.
Before you can do NGS, you have to prepare your sample for sequencing. First,
all the DNA has to be cut into similar-sized pieces. Then you have to add in
sequencing adaptors. These are like tiny handles that help hold onto the DNA
during sequencing.
Instead of running a reaction in a tube, the DNA is loaded onto a flow cell.
There are millions of tiny wells on the surface of a single flow cell. Each of these
wells can capture a single piece of DNA from the sample, by grabbing onto an
adaptor.
First, the DNA piece in each well is copied by PCR. This step is very important! It
turns one molecule of DNA into a cluster of identical DNA pieces. This makes a
denser “spot” that is easier for a computer to see.
Once a base binds to the DNA, a picture of the flow cell will be taken. Since each
nucleotide (A, T, C, or G) has a distinct color, we can find out which one it is.
Then the dye is washed off and a second base binds to the DNA cluster. This
cycle is repeated 100-200 times to get the complete sequence.
Since millions of pieces of DNA are sequenced at a time, you end up with a lot of
data! Scientists generally use computer programs to help analyze all this
information.
The basic principles behind NGS and Sanger sequencing are similar. Dye-labeled
nucleotides are added to the growing strand of DNA, and each base is
determined based on the color of the dye.