In our cells, the language of DNA is written, making each of us unique. A tandem repeat occurs in DNA when a pattern of one or more nucleotides – the basic structural unit of DNA coded in the base of chemicals cytosine (C), adenine (A), guanine (G) and thymine (T) – is repeated multiple times in tandem. An example might be: CAG CAG CAG, in which the pattern CAG is repeated three times.
Researchers examined whether the mutational process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) itself has changed during the evolution of SARS-CoV-2.