Variable-Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR)
| What it's not: |
One of the many incomprehensible error messages your computer displays before it immediately shuts down in the middle of your most important project. |
| What it is: |
This is a catch-all term for repeats in the genome. Generally not associated with disease, these repeats are usually picked up in DNA profiling because the sequences vary in size between people. Because variable-number tandem repeat is such a broad (and long) term, it initially confuses people; but once they realize it is only what the name says, they appear less confused. To repeat, VNTR sounds so complicated, but the phrase simply means, “repeats that vary in size. |
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