MALDI-TOF DNA Sequencing

**Semantic type:** Molecular Biology Research Technique

**Definition:** The analysis of a DNA sequence using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry. A DNA sequence is reverse-transcribed into a chimeric RNA/DNA molecule where the reaction includes one nucleobase in its ribonucleotide triphosphate form and the other three bases in their deoxyribonucleotide triphosphate forms. The chimeric products are subjected to 3' cleavage by exposure to alkali or an endonuclease and the resulting fragments are analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. This creates a sequence-specific, mass-based fingerprint, which allows the identification of differences between a reference sequence and a test sequence.

**Synonyms:** - MALDI DNA Sequencing - Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry DNA Sequencing