LIBRARY, ARRAYED

In genetics, arrayed libraries of DNA clones are used for many purposes, including screening for a specific gene or genomic region of interest as well as for physical mapping. An arrayed library consists of (in technical terms) individual primary recombinant clones (which are hosted in phage, cosmid, YAC, or another vector) that have been placed in two-dimensional arrays in microtiter dishes (plastic dishes with an orderly array of tiny wells). Each primary clone can be identified by the identity of the plate and the clone location (row and column) on that plate. The information gathered on individual clones from various genetic linkage and physical map analyses is then entered into a relational database and used to construct physical and genetic linkage maps.