Shotgun sequencing

In genetics, shotgun sequencing is a method used for sequencing random DNA strands. It is named by analogy with the rapidly expanding, quasi-random firing pattern of a shotgun. In genetics, shotgun sequencing is a method used for sequencing random DNA strands. It is named by analogy with the rapidly expanding, quasi-random firing pattern of a shotgun. The chain termination method of DNA sequencing ('Sanger sequencing') can only be used for short DNA strands of 100 to 1000 base pairs. Due to this size limit, longer sequences are subdivided into smaller fragments that can be sequenced separately, and these sequences are assembled to give the overall sequence. There are two principal methods for this fragmentation and sequencing process. Primer walking (or 'chromosome walking') progresses through the entire strand piece by piece, whereas shotgun sequencing is a faster but more complex process that uses random fragments. In shotgun sequencing, DNA is broken up randomly into numerous small segments, which are sequenced using the chain termination method to obtain reads. Multiple overlapping reads for the target DNA are obtained by performing several rounds of this fragmentation and sequencing. Computer programs then use the overlapping ends of different reads to assemble them into a continuous sequence. Shotgun sequencing was one of the precursor technologies that was responsible for enabling full genome sequencing.