Getting specific DNA sequences

DNA sequencers are expensive and difficult to maintain, so few researchers have one of their own. However, many facilities now specialize in DNA sequencing. Often, you may not need or be able to afford to sequence the whole genome of the organism you're interested in, but just need a few specific sequences.

How to acquire the sequence of DNA segments of interest to you?

1. Generate a PCR product of the segment(s) of DNA you are interested in. This product(s) can be taken or mailed to a DNA sequencing facility.

2. Generate many fragments of DNA, for example a whole library of fragments or an entire genome. Regardless of the organism, its genome must first be fragmented before sequencing is possible. A cost-effective strategy for producing many sequences without having to sequence the whole genome is to use ESTs, described in detail in Section 3 (methods and tools).

3. Find available sequences in public databases that you can use.