Characteristics and frequency of germline mutations at microsatellite locifrom the human Y chromosome, as revealed by direct observation in father/son pairs
M. Kayser et al., Characteristics and frequency of germline mutations at microsatellite locifrom the human Y chromosome, as revealed by direct observation in father/son pairs, AM J HU GEN, 66(5), 2000, pp. 1580-1588
Citations number
41
Categorie Soggetti
Research/Laboratory Medicine & Medical Tecnology","Molecular Biology & Genetics
A number of applications of analysis of human Y-chromosome microsatellite l
oci to human evolution and forensic science require reliable estimates of t
he mutation rate and knowledge of the mutational mechanism. We therefore sc
reened a total of 4,999 meioses from father/son pairs with confirmed patern
ity (probability greater than or equal to 99.9%) at 15 Y-chromosomal micros
atellite loci and identified 14 mutations. The locus-specific mutation-rate
estimates were 0-8.58 x 10(-3), and the average mutation rate estimates we
re 3.17 x 10(-3) (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.89-4.94 x 10(-3)) across 8
tetranucleotide microsatellites and 2.80 x 10(-3) (95% CI 1.72-4.27 x 10(-
3)) across all 15 Y-chromosomal microsatellites studied. Our data show a mu
tational bias toward length increase, on the basis of observation of more r
epeat gains than losses (10:4). The data are in almost complete agreement w
ith the stepwise-mutation model, with 13 single-repeat changes and 1 double
-repeat change. Sequence analysis revealed that all mutations occurred in u
ninterrupted homogenous arrays of greater than or equal to 11 repeats. We c
onclude that mutation rates and characteristics of human Y-chromosomal micr
osatellites are consistent with those of autosomal microsatellites. This in
dicates that the general mutational mechanism of microsatellites is indepen
dent of recombination.