A transposable element is isolated from the human genome and its sequence determined. We can use this sequence to determine the copy number of the element in the human genome using a computer and an internet connection in the following way:
• A BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) search is done. BLAST indicates basic local alignment search tool
• In this site, the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) sequence of the transposable element is added as a query sequence
• The type of sequence should be selected as nucleotide sequence
• We should also select the human genome to be scanned for similarities
• When we submit the sequence, it scans the sequence against the existing sequences in the human genome
• It then gives all the closest matches to the given sequence
Based on the percentage of similarity, we can identify the copy number of the transposable element isolated.