DNA microarrays can be used to detect polymorphic loci in addition to identifying genes or regions that are absent within a genome. A survey such as this offers greater insight into the level of diversification within a species or population, which is useful in organisms that have near-identical genomic content but differ in phenotype. The identification of such variable loci can then lead to the characterization of genes linked to unique biological attributes. Here, we describe a competitive hybridization assay using DNA microarrays as a comparative genomics tool to identify nucleotide polymorphisms among closely related strains of Chlamydia trachomatis.
Microarray-based approach for genome-wide survey of nucleotide polymorphisms. Publishing Authors By Initials