December 30, 2007

Uses of mtDNA and Y-choromosome sequences

Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA, has been arise again and again in the development of biomedical technology. The DNAs, the plan of man, are unique and specific to each individual, even among identical twins. In a word, DNAs of man are like fingerprints that identify each person, its roots and ancestry and ethnic origin, among others.

One of the main uses of DNA tests is the family name or test common ancestor more recent data. Thanks to DNA tests, people can now determine if people in the same family name of the parents. How is this done?

The male human DNA contains chromosome Y. This may tell us if two or more men in the same family name or surname are parents or not. And if they are, the DNA of the Y chromosome can also identify the MRCA or the most recent common ancestor that binds the two men.

In addition to being able to determine the ethnicity of an individual, his relation to another of the same name and their most recent common ancestor, the Y chromosome markers in the human genome sex Men can also provide information on the individual haplogroup. A haplogroup or haplotype is a group of individuals having the same genetic characteristics, giving the details of an individual for his deep ancestral lineage, whether father or mother.

However, given that only men have Y chromosomes, females may determine the same information with any other DNA test, mtDNA testing. Since mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA is transmitted by the mother of both male and female offspring, women do not need to worry about not knowing their roots, their ethnicity and their ties with people who have the same patronymic. Just as men have their Y chromosomes, women have their mtDNA tests to obtain the same information.

In truth, biomedical technology has come a long way in connecting life, past and present.

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