SOP3v2: web-based selection of oligonucleotide primer trios for genotyping of human and mouse polymorphisms

SOP3v2 is a database-driven graphical web-based application for facilitating genotyping assay design. SOP3v2 accepts data input in numerous forms, including gene names, reference sequence numbers and physical location. For each entry, the application presents a set of recommended forward and reverse PCR primers, along with a sequencing primer, which is optimized for sequence-based genotyping assays. SOP3v2-generated oligonucleotide primer trios enable analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as well as insertion/deletion polymorphisms found in genomic DNA. The application's database was generated by warehousing information from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) dbSNP database, genomic DNA sequences from human and mouse, and LocusLink gene attribute information. Query results can be sorted by their biological relevance, such as nonsynonymous coding changes or physical location. Human polymorphism queries may specify ethnicity, haplotype and validation status. Primers are developed using SOP3v2's core algorithm for evaluating primer candidates through stability tests and are suitable for use with sequence-based genotyping methods requiring locus-specific amplification. The method has undergone laboratory validation. Of the SOP3v2-designed primer trios that were tested, a majority (>80%) have successfully produced genotyping data. The application may be accessed via the web at http://imgen.ccbb.pitt.edu/sop3v2.