tandem repeat

noun

Definition of tandem repeat

: any of several identical DNA segments lying one after the other in a sequence

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Instead of sequencing whole genes as cutting-edge academic research labs often do, forensics labs look for something called short tandem repeats (STR). — Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, "The Genomic Revolution Reaches the City Crime Lab," 22 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tandem repeat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of tandem repeat was in 1973

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tandem repeat

noun

tan·dem repeat | \ˈtan-dəm-

Medical Definition of tandem repeat

: any of several identical DNA segments lying one after the other in a sequence Although certain of these repetitive sequences are scattered throughout the DNA, others are reiterated many times in a row, so that they resemble the DNA equivalent of a stutter. These tandem repeats are usually found in critical regions, notably in the centromere …— Robert K. Moyzis, Scientific American, August 1991 The DNA fingerprint technique is based on the existence of regions of DNA that are made up of tandem repeats …— Roger Levin, Science, 1 Aug. 1986 — compare long terminal repeat