Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis has been used successfully to identify single nucleotide changes within sequences based on the fact that multidetection enhancement gels will separate molecules based on their conformation rather than their size. We have expanded the utility of this technique to analyze easily the alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs containing multiple mutually exclusive exons of the same size. We have used this technique to study theCaenorhabditis elegans let-2gene containing two alternative exons and theDrosophilia melanogaster Dscamgene, which contains 12 mutually exclusive exons. The ease and the quantitative nature of this technique should be very useful.
