A short tandem repeat (STR) in DNA occurs when a pattern of two or more nucleotides are repeated and the repeated sequences are directly adjacent to each other. ... By identifying repeats of a specific sequence at specific locations in the genome, it is possible to create a genetic profile of an individual.

What do you mean by tandem repeats?

Tandem repeats are short lengths of DNA that are repeated multiple times within a gene, anywhere from a handful of times to more than a hundred. These sequences are also called VNTRs, or variable number tandem repeats, because different individuals within a population may have different numbers of repeats.

What does the short tandem repeat analysis do?

Short Tandem Repeat (STR) analysis is a common molecular biology method used to compare allele repeats at specific loci in DNA between two or more samples. ... Instead, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is employed to discover the lengths of the short tandem repeats based on the length of the PCR product.