Sanger Sequencing
Sanger sequencing, also known as chain-termination sequencing, is a method for determining the nucleotide sequence of DNA. It involves synthesizing DNA strands complementary to a template using DNA polymerase, dideoxynucleotides (ddNTPs) to terminate synthesis at specific bases, and electrophoresis to separate fragments by size for sequence reading. Developed by Frederick Sanger in 1977, it was the first widely adopted DNA sequencing technique and remains a gold standard for accuracy in small-scale applications.
Developers in bioinformatics, genomics, or biotechnology should learn Sanger sequencing for validating genetic data, such as confirming mutations, sequencing plasmids, or checking PCR products, due to its high accuracy (up to 99.99%) and reliability. It is particularly useful when working with short DNA fragments (up to ~1000 base pairs) in research, clinical diagnostics, or quality control, where precision is critical over high-throughput needs.