Abstract

It is becoming increasingly clear that repetitive DNA is of biological significance as well as experimental importance. Here we review the information available about one type of repetitive DNA, the trinucleotide repeat (CAC)n, and briefly compare it with other trinucleotide repeats. Although much work has been done in analysing DNA fingerprinting patterns produced using the synthetic oligonucleotide (CAC)5 as a probe, there is relatively little information about individual (CAC)n‐containing sequences and their abundance, organisation and distribution in mammalian DNA. From the data that is available, it is clear that there are at least two areas that should repay further study: (1) the organisation and generation of long sequences that contain (CAC)n motifs as part of a larger repeating unit (minisatellites) and (2) the distribution of small (CAC)n sequences (microsatellites), in particular their relationship to genes.