National Cancer Institute (source definition)
Dideoxy Chain Termination DNA Sequencing
A DNA sequencing technique in which a mixture of deoxynucleosidetriphosphates (dNTPs) and chain-terminating dNTPs, which are radioactively or fluorescently labeled, are combined within the reaction mixture. Once the reaction is complete, the DNA strands are separated by size, and the labeled chain terminating dNTPs can be read in sequence by the investigator or by a machine.
Review and references
Automated source check (NCI definition)
2026-10-18
2026-10-18
professional use
What it is
A DNA sequencing technique in which a mixture of deoxynucleosidetriphosphates (dNTPs) and chain-terminating dNTPs, which are radioactively or fluorescently labeled, are combined within the reaction mixture. Once the reaction is complete, the DNA strands are separated by size, and the labeled chain terminating dNTPs can be read in sequence by the investigator or by a machine.
Source: National Cancer Institute, NCI Thesaurus 26.09d, C19641. NCI definition, reproduced without modification under CC BY 4.0.
Source identity and definition checked automatically on 2026-10-18. No individual clinical interpretation or human reviewer is asserted.
Compliance note
Reference intervals and interpretation depend on the laboratory, specimen, method and clinical context. This source definition is educational information; it does not establish a diagnosis, product approval or suitability for an individual.