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<span>What are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)?</span>
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<h1>What are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)?</h1>
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<section><div class="mp-content"><p>Single nucleotide polymorphisms, frequently called SNPs (pronounced “snips”), are the most common type of genetic variation among people. Each SNP represents a difference in a single <a data-pid="20107" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/dna/">DNA building block</a>, called a nucleotide. For example, a SNP may replace the nucleotide cytosine (C) with the nucleotide thymine (T) in a certain stretch of DNA.</p>
<p>SNPs occur normally throughout a persons DNA. They occur almost once in every 1,000 nucleotides on average, which means there are roughly 4 to 5 million SNPs in a person's genome. These variations occur in many individuals; to be classified as a SNP, a variant is found in at least 1 percent of the population. Scientists have found more than 600 million SNPs in populations around the world.</p>
<p>Most commonly, SNPs are found in the <a data-pid="20115" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/basics/noncodingdna/">DNA between genes</a>. They can act as biological markers, helping scientists locate genes that are associated with disease. When SNPs occur within a gene or in a regulatory region near a gene, they may play a more direct role in disease by affecting the genes function.</p>
<p>Most SNPs have <a data-pid="20121" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/mutationsanddisorders/neutralmutations/">no effect on health or development</a>. Some of these genetic differences, however, have proven to be very important in the study of human health. SNPs help predict an individuals response to certain drugs, susceptibility to environmental factors such as toxins, and risk of developing diseases. SNPs can also be used to track the <a data-pid="20163" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/inheritance/inheritancepatterns/">inheritance</a> of disease-associated genetic variants within families. Research is ongoing to identify SNPs associated with complex diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.</p></div>
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<h2>For more information about SNPs:</h2>
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<a href="https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Single-Nucleotide-Polymorphisms" target="_blank">An audio definition of SNPs</a> is available from the National Human Genome Research Institutes Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms.<span class="desc-text"><img alt="From the National Institutes of Health" class="imgdesc" height="16" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nih.png" title="From the National Institutes of Health" width="25"/></span></p>
<p>How scientists <a href="https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/precision/snips/" target="_blank">locate SNPs in the genome</a> is explained by the University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center.</p>
<p>For people interested in more technical data, the National Library of Medicine maintains a frequently updated resource at NCBI of a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/snp/" target="_blank">database of single nulceotide polymorphisms (dbSNP).</a><span class="desc-text"><img alt="From the National Institutes of Health" class="imgdesc" height="16" src="https://medlineplus.gov/images/nih.png" title="From the National Institutes of Health" width="25"/></span></p>
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<section><div class="mp-exp mp-content"><h2>Topics in the Genomic Research chapter</h2><ul><li>What are single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)?</li><li><a data-pid="20297" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/gwastudies/">What are genome-wide association studies?</a></li><li><a data-pid="20303" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/pharmacogenomics/">What is pharmacogenomics?</a></li><li><a data-pid="20305" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/genomicresearch/genomeediting/">What are genome editing and CRISPR-Cas9?</a></li></ul><p><a data-pid="20081" href="https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/">Other chapters in Help Me Understand Genetics</a></p></div>
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