Argus BioSciences Now Testing Y-DNA
Argus BioSciences is now testing Y-DNA:
“The Y-chromosome test looks at 96 key single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to determine your paternal haplogroup. Your report includes a phylogenetic tree of global Y-chromosome haplogroups. The SNP assays are carried out in collaboration with Marligen Biosciences, a leader in the development of cutting edge multiplex assays.”
“These kits employ a two tiered strategy that efficiently detects 96 polymorphic markers in multiplexed PCR and detection reactions. Samples are first analyzed with a screening multiplex (A-R) that determines the major haplotype group of each sample. Subsequently, samples are analyzed with one of the haplogroup-specific multiplexes (AB, CD, E, FGHI, J, KLMN, O1, O2, PQ, R1 or R2) to determine the precise haplotype of each sample.”
I reviewed Argus BioSciences back in March. Congratulations on their new product!
August 9th, 2007 at 10:22 am
I have a question. I notice many companies offer Y-DNA SNP testing as an upgrade to STR testing. Do you think people should go straight for SNP testing instead?
August 9th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Great question as always! The answer depends on what you want to discover. If you want to know specifically which Haplogroup you fit into, the best bet is a SNP test. If you want to know your haplotype for comparison reasons, STR testing might be more appropriate.
For instance, let’s look at my Y-DNA results. I took a 67-marker test, and now I have information for those 67 STRs. I can enter that information into a database and use it to make connections with other people who might be closely related to me. However, I do NOT know with 100% certainty my own Haplogroup because I’ve never had SNP testing. Assignment into a Haplogroup based on STR results is statistical, and the statistics say that I belong to Haplogroup R1bc. I hope to someday do SNP testing to confirm that assignment.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
[...] on 5 May 2008. Added IMS-JST to SNP definitions on 5 May 2008. …www.isogg.org/tree/index.htmlArgus BioSciences Now Testing Y-DNA » The Genetic GenealogistAug 9, 2007 … I notice many companies offer Y-DNA SNP testing as an upgrade to STR testing. Do [...]