Cot Analysis

Cot Analysis, also known as DNA reassociation kinetics, is a biochemical technique used to study genome structure and organization. It was first developed and utilized by Roy Britten and his colleagues at the Carnegie Institution of Washington in the 1960s. Of particular note, it was through Cot analysis that the redundant (repetitive) nature of eukaryotic genomes was first discovered. The discovery that DNA was indeed the molecule of heredity and elucidation of the double-helical structure of DNA had linked DNA and genes in the minds of most scientists. However, it wasn't until the breakthrough DNA reassociation kinetics experiments of Britten and his colleagues that it was shown that not all DNA coded for genes. In fact, the experiments of Britten et al. demonstrated that the majority of eukaryotic genomic DNA is composed of repetitive, non-coding elements.