Meaning & use
Microsatellite
Last updated
A short, repeating sequence of DNA, typically one to six base pairs long, used in genetics to identify individuals or study inheritance.
See it in a sentence
Scientists used microsatellite markers to trace the migration patterns of the wolf population.
The forensic lab compared microsatellite patterns to confirm the paternity test.
A note on using this word
Microsatellites mutate frequently, which makes them especially useful for tracking genetic variation between closely related individuals.
Words with a similar meaning
short tandem repeat
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