Large-scale SNP analysis reveals clustered and continuous patterns of human genetic variation.

Understanding the distribution of human genetic variation is an important foundation for research into the genetics of common diseases. Some of the alleles that modify common disease risk are themselves likely to be common and, thus, amenable to identification using gene-association methods. A problem with this approach is that the large sample sizes required for sufficient statistical power to detect alleles with moderate effect make gene-association studies susceptible to false-positive findings as the result of population stratification. Such type I errors can be eliminated by using either family-based association tests or methods that sufficiently adjust for population stratification. These methods require the availability of genetic markers that can detect and, thus, control for sources of genetic stratification among populations. In an effort to investigate population stratification and identify appropriate marker panels, we have analysed 11,555 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 203 individuals from 12 diverse human populations. Individuals in each population cluster to the exclusion of individuals from other populations using two clustering methods. Higher-order branching and clustering of the populations are consistent with the geographic origins of populations and with previously published genetic analyses. These data provide a valuable resource for the definition of marker panels to detect and control for population stratification in population-based gene identification studies. Using three US resident populations (European-American, African-American and Puerto Rican), we demonstrate how such studies can proceed, quantifying proportional ancestry levels and detecting significant admixture structure in each of these populations.

Genotyping over 100,000 SNPs on a pair of oligonucleotide arrays.

We present a genotyping method for simultaneously scoring 116,204 SNPs using oligonucleotide arrays. At call rates >99%, reproducibility is >99.97% and accuracy, as measured by inheritance in trios and concordance with the HapMap Project, is >99.7%. Average intermarker distance is 23.6 kb, and 92% of the genome is within 100 kb of a SNP marker. Average heterozygosity is 0.30, with 105,511 SNPs having minor allele frequencies >5%.

Parallel genotyping of over 10,000 SNPs using a one-primer assay on a high-density oligonucleotide array.

The analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is increasingly utilized to investigate the genetic causes of complex human diseases. Here we present a high-throughput genotyping platform that uses a one-primer assay to genotype over 10,000 SNPs per individual on a single oligonucleotide array. This approach uses restriction digestion to fractionate the genome, followed by amplification of a specific fractionated subset of the genome. The resulting reduction in genome complexity enables allele-specific hybridization to the array. The selection of SNPs was primarily determined by computer-predicted lengths of restriction fragments containing the SNPs, and was further driven by strict empirical measurements of accuracy, reproducibility, and average call rate, which we estimate to be >99.5%, >99.9%, and>95%, respectively [corrected]. With average heterozygosity of 0.38 and genome scan resolution of 0.31 cM, the SNP array is a viable alternative to panels of microsatellites (STRs). As a demonstration of the utility of the genotyping platform in whole-genome scans, we have replicated and refined a linkage region on chromosome 2p for chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and thyroid disease, previously identified using a panel of microsatellite (STR) markers.