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!
2 Comments
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?
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.
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