Section I: General Diagnostic Guidelines
Sequence Analysis Troubleshooting Guide
1
Section I: General Diagnostic Guidelines
The CEQ System has many useful features that allow the user to identify and resolve
problems quickly. The two most useful features in this regard are the
Raw Data
and
the
Current Profile
. In certain cases, the analyzed data can be used, but
only after
the
raw data and current profile have been shown to be good.
Raw Data - Good Raw Data Signal
The raw data generated by the CEQ System is displayed during the actual run and is
also accessible to the user in the “Analysis Application.” The major diagnostic to use
when looking at raw data is the signal strength. In general, signal strength will
gradually decline as a run progresses as shown below:
In the example shown in Figure 1, with a start time of 20 minutes for the LFR-1
method, the signal strength at the beginning of the run is approximately 70,000 counts,
decreasing to about 10,000 counts at the end of the run. Signal strength is important
because without sufficient signal, it is very unlikely that accurate base calls can be
made. The above example shows excellent signal strength; however, it is not necessary
for each sample to have such high signal in order to obtain accurate base calls. The
important number to remember is signal to noise ratio. With a signal to noise ratio of
about 3:1, the software should give an accurate base call. For example, a profile with a
starting signal strength of 25,000 counts and an ending signal strength of 5,000
(assuming a background of about 1,500) should still give an accurate base call.
Figure 1:
Good Raw Data Signal
Profile starts high, gradually decreases in
signal strength as the run progresses