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The term “single nucleotide polymorphism” contains two defining criteria. First, it refers to a single nucleotide, i.e., an individual base pair, that can differ between individuals. Second, the word polymorphism indicates that a particular nucleotide change of interest is shared by at least 1% of the population.
SNPs occur when one base pair replaces another base pair in a point mutation (see DNA entry for discussion of bases). For example, an A-T pairing may be replaced by a G-C pairing. Such a mutation does not typically harm the organism.
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Britannica. (2009). The Britannica guide to genetics (Introduction by Steve Jones). Philadelphia: Running Press.
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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York
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Turner, J.R. (2013). Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP). In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_720
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_720
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