February 18, 2005

1.6 million SNPs in 71 humans from 3 major races

In a new article in Science, researchers have genotype approximately 1.6 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 71 individuals drawn from the 3 major human populations: Europeans, Asians, and Africans. A summary of the results frm EurekAlert..

Science, Vol 307, Issue 5712, 1072-1079

Whole-Genome Patterns of Common DNA Variation in Three Human Populations

David A. Hinds et al.

Individual differences in DNA sequence are the genetic basis of human variability. We have characterized whole-genome patterns of common human DNA variation by genotyping 1,586,383 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 71 Americans of European, African, and Asian ancestry. Our results indicate that these SNPs capture most common genetic variation as a result of linkage disequilibrium, the correlation among common SNP alleles. We observe a strong correlation between extended regions of linkage disequilibrium and functional genomic elements. Our data provide a tool for exploring many questions that remain regarding the causal role of common human DNA variation in complex human traits and for investigating the nature of genetic variation within and between human populations.

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