The first determination of DNA sequence of a specific gene

Abstract

How and when the first DNA sequence of a gene was determined? In 1977, F. Sanger came up with an innovative technology to sequence DNA by using chain terminators, and determined the entire DNA sequence of the 5375-base genome of bacteriophage φX 174 (Sanger et al., 1977). While this Sanger's achievement has been recognized as the first DNA sequencing of genes, we had determined DNA sequence of a gene, albeit a partial sequence, 11 years before the Sanger's DNA sequence (Okada et al., 1966).

Keywords: First DNA sequencing; Frame-shift mutations; Sanger; T4 phage.