Dinucleotide Repeats

Dinucleotide repeats (also called microsatellites) are short repetitions of two nucleotides that occur randomly in genetic material. They have wide-reaching applications across diverse fields such as disease studies, crime scene investigations, anthropology and evolutionary studies. In disease studies, they are used to identify genetic mutations associated with various disorders. In crime scene investigations they can be used to generate the unique profiles of individuals from a sample of their DNA. In anthropology and evolutionary studies, dinucleotide repeats are used to trace the migration of ancient people and help to understand the evolutionary history of species. They can also be used to identify the level of genetic diversity in a population.