Automatable SNP assay

In the February 27 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Bartlett et al. describe a simple technique for single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis that could be easily automated for high-throughput SNP typing (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001, 98:2694-2697). The fluorescence technique (which the authors dub ADMI, alkaline-mediated differential interaction) is adapted from the amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR and exploits the double-stranded DNA-specific dye SYBR green I, combined with detection at buffered high pH conditions. The technique is inexpensive, automatable, simple and robust, making it ideal for high-throughput applications. Bartlett et al. tested the performance of the assay using 32 sequence-specific primer mixes to identify HLA genotypes of 80 independent lymphoblastoid cell lines.