Methods for fragmenting and labeling DNA

Methods for fragmenting and labeling nucleic acids for hybridization analysis are disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, methods and compositions are provided for fragmenting nucleic acid samples by exposure to acidic conditions to generate abasic positions and then cleavage of the abasic sites by, for example, an apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease. The resulting fragments may be end labeled and analyzed by hybridization to an array of nucleic acid probes.