Single-strand conformation polymorphism

This property allows sequences to be distinguished by means of gel electrophoresis, which separates fragments according to their different conformations.

[1] A single nucleotide change in a particular sequence, as seen in a double-stranded DNA, cannot be distinguished by gel electrophoresis techniques, which can be attributed to the fact that; the physical properties of the double strands are almost identical for both alleles.

[2] These days, SSCP is most applicable as a diagnostic tool in molecular biology.

It can be used in genotyping to detect homozygous individuals of different allelic states, as well as heterozygous individuals that should each demonstrate distinct patterns in an electrophoresis experiment.

[3] SSCP is also widely used in virology to detect variations in different strains of a virus, the idea being that a particular virus particle present in both strains will have undergone changes due to mutation, and that these changes will cause the two particles to assume different conformations and, thus, be differentiable on an SSCP gel.