Question

How are Copy Number Variations (CNVs) and Tandem Repeats diffrent?

Answer 1

As we all know that Copy number variation is a phenomenon in which division/sectof the genome are repeated and the no.of repeats in the genome varies between the individuals. Copy number variation is a type of structural variation in specifically, it is a type of duplication or deletion event that affects a considerable no. of base pairs.

Tandem repeats usually occur in DNA when a pattern of one or more nucleotides are repeated and the repetitions are directly adjacent to each other. Several protein domains also form these tandem repeats within their amino acid primary structure. For example, Armadillo repeats.

Thus copy number variation and tandem repeats are different from each other but CNV were generally associated only with small tandem repeats  or specific genetic disorders, therefore, copy number variations were initially only examined in terms of specific loci.