Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Detection of Copy Number Alterations Using Single Cell Sequencing
Published on: February 17, 2017
A comprehensive analysis of common copy-number variations in the human genome
Kendy K Wong1, Ronald J deLeeuw, Nirpjit S Dosanjh
1Department of Cancer Genetics and Developmental Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. kwong@bccrc.ca
Abstract:
Segmental copy-number variations (CNVs) in the human genome are associated with developmental disorders and susceptibility to diseases. More importantly, CNVs may represent a major genetic component of our phenotypic diversity. In this study, using a whole-genome array comparative genomic hybridization assay, we identified 3,654 autosomal segmental CNVs, 800 of which appeared at a frequency of at least 3%. Of these frequent CNVs, 77% are novel. In the 95 individuals analyzed, the two most diverse genomes differed by at least 9 Mb in size or varied by at least 266 loci in content. Approximately 68% of the 800 polymorphic regions overlap with genes, which may reflect human diversity in senses (smell, hearing, taste, and sight), rhesus phenotype, metabolism, and disease susceptibility. Intriguingly, 14 polymorphic regions harbor 21 of the known human microRNAs, raising the possibility of the contribution of microRNAs to phenotypic diversity in humans. This in-depth survey of CNVs across the human genome provides a valuable baseline for studies involving human genetics.
Related Concept Videos
Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Genome Copying Errors
Karyotyping
Karyotyping
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...

