SNP Full Form

The term SNP is the abbreviated form of Single Nucleotides Polymorphism. It is a type of variation in the sequence of the DNA. It is a commonly known type of Polymorphism. As it is known, the existence of dual or several variants of a particular sequence of DNA occurring among the several individuals of the population is widely regarded as Polymorphism. It is an important element of Biology and Genomics. It is a way through which different forms of genomes lead to several human forms. The term is made up of two terms- “poly” and “morph”, which point to multiple polymorphic traits that exist in genes. 

Let us look at an example of Polymorphism, say- Jaguars. Jaguars can be found in several colours- some might have light spots while other may have dark spots. There exist different types of morphs in the colour of the skin. Hence, there exist several probable variations in the gene, it can be held as a perfect and simple example of Polymorphism. 

Now, let us look at Single-nucleotides Polymorphism- the common and widely known type of Polymorphism in Biology. 

What is SNP?

The most commonly known Genetic variation and Polymorphism in the context of Biology is abbreviated as SNP. The abbreviation SNP is often pronounced as “snip”. SNP stands for Single-nucleotide Polymorphism- as mentioned earlier. The SNPs represent the deviations in the building block of DNA. These building blocks are known as nucleotides. These Nucleotides can occur in different forms in a genome- Thymine (T) , Cytosine (C), Adenine (A), or Guanine (G). They occur in several forms across different species.

Let’s say that AAGCTTA and AAGCCTA are two fragments of sequences of DNA coming from different individuals in the population. Both these fragments contain distinct single nucleotides. In the mentioned case, it can be pointed out that there exist two alleles, as- Thymine (T) and Cytosine (C). Therefore, it must be noted that all the ordinary and familiar Single nucleotides have dual alleles. 

Single nucleotides comes about all over the DNA of an individual. On average, SNPs take place after every 1000 nucleotides. Keeping this number in mind, it can be said that there exist approximately four to five million Single-nucleotides in the genome of an individual. These mentioned variations can take place in several individuals. To be categorised as an SNP, the variant can be found in one percent of the population, at a minimum. As per sources, biologists have traced approximately 600 million SNPs around the world, in several individuals the population. 

Let us look at the types of SNPs. 

Types

There are three ways in which the single-nucleotide sequences can be influenced. These include- 

• It can be substituted into a sequence of poly-nucleotides
• It can be inserted or added into a sequence of poly-nucleotides
• It can be deleted or removed from a sequence of poly-nucleotides

These single-nucleotides cabs befall in the non-coding regions and coding regions of the genes. They may also fall in the inter-generic regions, which are found between the genes. Notably, the Single-nucleotides that fall in the sequence of coding of the genes do not necessarily alter the produced sequence of amino acids and proteins; this is mainly because of the genetic code corruption. 

The silent mutation in an SNP is called the Synonymous. In this type, both prepares result-for the SNP- in a polypeptide sequence which is the same. Conversely, the mutation which results in a distinct polypeptide sequence is called non-synonymous. The non-synonymous alteration again is of two types- 

• Missenge alteration which results in distinct amino acids.
• Nonsense alteration which results in the untimely and early stop codons. 

Importance

The following points will highlight the importance of the Single-nucleotides polymorphism-

• The variations in the sequences of DNA conveys on how an individual gets hold of diseases and the body’s response to the pathogens, vaccines, chemicals, and others. 
• The Single-nucleotides releases the element of personalised medications. 
• SNPs play an essential role in the research studies of Biomedicine. It helps in making a comparison of the genome regions among the cohorts. 
• When the genome is screened by the Scientist for navigating the SNPs, it helps in the making of the Chromosome map. This, in turn, helps in gene identification. These genes contribute to certain traits. 

Conclusion

SNPs play a very critical role in Genetic variation and Polymorphism in the context of Biology- pronounced “snip”. SNP stands for Single-nucleotide Polymorphism. It denotes the type of variation in the sequence of the DNA. They pretend to be the tags for chromosomes in certain DNA regions. The DNA regions are examined in search of variations in an individual, concerning diseases or any human illness. SNPs are the commonly known type of Polymorphism. Polymorphism is regarded as the attendance of several or least dual variants of a certain sequence of DNA that takes place among individuals of the population.