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Lecture 28: Polymorphisms in Human
DNA Sequences
?SNPs
?SSRs
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The methods of genetic analysis that you have been learning are applicable to mammals — even
to humans. However, we need to combine these genetic principles with an understanding of the
physical realities of the human genome. To genetics we will add genomics.
Eukaryotic Genes and Genomes
= DNA content of a gamete (sperm or egg)
genome = DNA content of a complete haploid set of chromosomes
H. sapiens
M. musculus
D. melanogaster
C. elegans
S. cerevisiae
E. coli
genes/
haploid
year
sequence
completed
DNA
content/
haploid(Mb)
cMChromosomesSpecies
1
16
6
4
20
23
N/A
4000
300
280
1700
3300
5
12
100
180
3000
3000
1997
1997
1998
2000
4,200
5,800
19,000
14,000
30,000?
30,000?
Mb = megabase = 1 million base-pairs of DNA
Kb = kilobase = 1 thousand base-pairs of DNA
Note: cM = centi Morgan = 1% recombination
2002 draft
2001 draft
2005 finished?
2003 finished
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30003300H. sapiens
30001700M. musculus
180280D. melanogaster
100300C. elegans
124000S. cerevisiae
5N/AE. coli
true breeding
strains?
design
crosses?
generation
time
DNA content/
haploid (Mb)
cMSpecies
30 min
90 min
4 d
2 wk
3 mo
20 yr
yes yes
yes yes
yes yes
yes yes
yes yes
no no
Let's add some columns to a table we constructed several lectures back:
You might add a column indicating the number of offspring per adult. What are the implications of
this table for human genetic studies? Obviously they're difficult.
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? Human genetics is retrospective (vs prospective). Human geneticists cannot
test hypotheses prospectively. The mouse
provides a prospective surrogate.
? Can’t do selections
? Meager amounts of data Human geneticists typically rely upon statistical
arguments as opposed to overwhelming
amounts of data in drawing connections between
genotype and phenotype.
? Highly dependent on DNA-based maps and DNA-based analysis
The unique advantages of human genetics:
? A large population which is self-screening to a considerable degree
? Phenotypic subtlety is not lost on the observer
? The self interest of our species
More specifically:
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Let's consider the types and frequency of polymorphisms at the DNA level in the human genome.
DNA polymorphisms are of many types, including substitutions, duplications, deletions, etc. Two
types of DNA polymorphisms are of particular importance in human genetics today:
This means that, on average, at a randomly selected locus, two randomly selected human alleles
(chromosomes) differ at about 1 nucleotide per 1000. This implies that your maternal genome (the
haploid genome that you inherited from your mother) differs from your paternal genome at about 1
nucleotide per 1000.
Similarities and differences: This also implies that the genomes of any two individuals are 99.9%
identical. Conversely, the genomes of two randomly selected individuals will differ at several million
nucleotides. (Identical twins are a notable exception.)
1) SNPs = single nucleotide polymorphisms = single nucleotide substitutions
H
nuc
=
A locus is said to be polymorphic if two or more alleles are each present at
a frequency of at least 1% in a population
of animals.
In human
populations:
average heterozygosity per nucleotide site = 0.001
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The great majority (probably 99%) of SNPs are selectively “neutral” changes
of little or no functional consequence:
? outside coding or gene regulatory regions (>97% of human genome)
? silent substitutions in coding sequences
? some amino acid substitutions do not affect protein stability or function
A small minority of SNPs are of functional consequence and are
selectively advantageous or disadvantageous.
? disadvantageous SNPs selected against --> further underrepresentation
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Affymetrix chip to identify SNPs
6000 datapoints, tabular and visual views of the
data.
Note that only 1500 showing in image on left, a
few hundred at most on right.
Following slides show…
how we visualize data
Image removed due to copyright considerations.
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PEDIGREE: DOMINANT TRAIT WITH SUPPRESSOR SEGREGATING
It looks like we've been lucky. Allele A at SSR37 appears to segregate with HD. But can you be
confident that the HD gene is in close proximity to the SSR37 locus, or even that it is on
chromosome 4?
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All normal
.
C57black
AKR
X
13/16 normal:: 3/16 tumors
TUMORS
NON-TUMORS
AAbb
aaBB
AaBb
A-B-
aaB-
aabb
aaB-
AKR HAS A GENE THAT SUPPRESSES TUMORS
It looks like we've been lucky. Allele A at SSR37 appears to segregate with HD. But can you be
confident that the HD gene is in close proximity to the SSR37 locus, or even that it is on
chromosome 4?
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O
OH
HO
HO
HO
O
Lactose
H
β(1,4)-Glycoside Linkage
1
O
OH
HO
HO
OH
4
H
galactose
residue
O
OH
HO
HO
HO
O
Cellobiose
H
β(1,4)-Glycoside Linkage
1
O
OH
HO
HO
OH
4
H
glucose
residue
glucose
residue
CANDIDATE GENE
LACTOSE
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LACTOSE TOLERANCE
LACTASE GENE
SNP
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2) SSRs = simple sequence repeat polymorphisms = "microsatellites"
Most common type in mammalian genomes is
16F
15E
14D
13C
12B
11A
nalleles
primer #1
primer #2
PCR
gel electrophoresis
Genotype
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
n
CA repeat:
(CA)
n
(GT)
n
AB CD EF AD CF
F
E
D
C
B
A
16
15
14
13
12
11