Mutation process in mini-satellites

Minisatellites are tandemly repeated DNA sequences with repeat units in the range 6-100 bp. They are preferentially located in subtelomeric euchromatin of chromosomes of higher eukaryotes. Minisatellite loci frequently show variability in allele length. This variability is a consequence of high frequency of mutations which change repeat copy number of locus. The most part of minisatellite mutations are germline specific and possibly meiotic. Examples of different mutations and involved genomic mechanisms are reviewed in this paper. A possible biological role of minisatellites is discussed.