Can NGS detect copy number variation?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 03, 2026
NGS-Based Copy Number Analysis While efficient for large CNV detection, genotyping arrays are less sensitive for detecting CNVs smaller than 50 kilobases. By providing a base-by-base view of the genome, NGS detects small or novel copy number variants that arrays often miss.
How do you find copy number variants?
In NGS, millions of single end or mate pair reads are generated from the sample genomes with shotgun sequencing. CNVs are then detected based on the frequency of the reads (read depth) or aberrations in the mate pairs, after mapping the short reads to the reference genome.
Can exome sequencing detect copy number variants?
Exome sequencing (ES) is a first-tier diagnostic test for many suspected Mendelian disorders. While it is routine to detect small sequence variants, it is not a standard practice in clinical settings to detect germline copy-number variants (CNVs) from ES data due to several reasons relating to performance.
How common are copy number variants?
Approximately two-thirds of the entire human genome may be composed of repeats and 4.8–9.5% of the human genome can be classified as copy number variations.
Is copy number variation a mutation?
Copy number variants are mutations and can include deletions, insertions, and duplications. Sometimes, a copy number variant may even be so large that half a million nucleotides are affected.
Can NGS detect CNV?
With the current quality of NGS data it is also possible to detect CNVs [12]. In addition, NGS provides the benefit of detecting exact CNV breakpoint positions in the genome. Hence using NGS for CNV detection will help diagnostic labs in testing larger number of genes for CNVs.
Is CNV a mutation?
CNVs such as del and dup have long been recognized as a source of mutation in well-characterized genetic disorders and syndromes. These CNV disorders result from genomic alterations or rearrangements mediated by unstable genomic architecture, and are also referred to as genomic disorders [16].
How common is copy number variation?
Copy Number Variation Is Common in Human Genomes A total of 297 clusters were identified: 139 insertions, 102 deletions and 56 inversions breakpoints. Across the genome, 163 of the structural variants map to regions of segmental duplication.
What is copy number variation?
Copy number variation refers to imbalanced structural variation resulting in gain or loss of genomic DNA in a region ranging from tens to millions of bases long. Copy number variants (CNVs) are a critical class of genetic variation in clinical next-generation sequencing (NGS) due to their wide-ranging impacts in human disease.
Can targettargeted NGS detect copy number variation?
Targeted NGS can also successfully detect CNVs, offering comprehensive mutation screening when combinations of approaches are used. Copy number variation is a general term used to refer to population-level genetic differences characterized by the gain or loss of specific regions of DNA in individual genomes.
Can we identify CNVs from short read sequencing data for NGS?
The emergence of next-generation sequencing (NGS) as a clinical diagnostic tool offers the potential for comprehensive mutation screening, however, high levels of complexity exist regarding identification of CNVs from short read sequence data for whole genome and targeted NGS approaches.
Does depth of coverage matter for Next-Generation Sequencing detection?
Since the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, several research groups have compared depth of coverage (DoC) patterns between samples, an approach that may facilitate effective CNV detection.