Argus BioSciences Now Testing Y-DNA

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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!

3 Responses

  1. Hsien Lei 9 August 2007 / 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?

  2. Blaine Bettinger, Ph.D. 9 August 2007 / 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.

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