Comparing and Contrasting two DNA Tests.

DNA, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid, is a genetic information-carrying molecule that is essential for the development, growth, and reproduction of all known living things and viruses (Bettinger). Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates, they are nuclear. It is one of the basic macromolecules required for life and is made up of biopolymer strands that form a double helix. It is known as a polynucleotide because it contains monomers known as nucleotides. Professionals have long used DNA testing to identify a person's family trees and closest relatives. This essay will compare and contrast two different test kinds from various angles. The testing packages to be discussed here include Autosomal and mtDNA.

An Autosomal DNA test does not depend on gender which means it does not contribute to the 22 pair of chromosomes and hence used on both genders with the same results. Autosomal DNA examines single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or even various shapes of nucleotides. On the other hand, mitochondrial DNA also referred to as mtDNA is a genetic material within mitochondria; small in size, located in every cell and have separate DNA strands. It is passed exclusively from mothers. Because it does not involve both parents than it does not change with generations; it changes very slowly and can remain the same for a significant number of generations. MtDNA is divided into three sections: coding region (00577-16023), (HVR1)[16024-16569] and HVR2 [00001-00576]. The most common of HVR1 and 2 are full of mitochondria.

How they work

An autosomal genealogical test examines like 700,000 SNPs to give details of how closely related peoples could be. It is critical to remember that half of the DNA is from the mother and the other half from the father. If one retrieves the generations, it means that a quarter of our DNA comes from each of our grandparents, an eighth from great-grandparents with the series continuing backward. The further you go back, the less it becomes, and it is used up to the fifth generation (Calafell et al. 559). That means the impossibility of linking you with more than the fourth cousin. On the other hand, mtDNA test does not consider the primary DNA within a cell but instead looks at the mitochondria. That means, among other things, the analysis can only examine like 16,500 genetic base pairs, instead of using the 3.2 billion pairs in a DNA. The test usually considers specific portions of mtDNA and compares them with an established sample.

What they tell you

The primary objective of the autosomal test is to find out the close relationship between two people. It can be easy if one has information about a parent or even the grandparents but wants to find the living relatives. Mostly, those located by the test also keeps on searching for the same family line, and it can ease thing more if one shares the research with them. Autosomal DNA test can additionally give an estimate of a person’s ethnicity or the religion of the place at which the parents lived for the last a thousand years because people used to shift more often. The firms providing the tests services subdivide the world up to 25 regions and give an estimated percentage of where the ancestry came from in each division, this can give clues of where people should be searching for their ancestral history. Every firm with such services gives autosomal DNA test via living DNA while national geographic gives it with other two sets.

On the side of mtDNA, it gives an accurate ancestry results, but the problem is that it offers for the maternal line. The meaning of this is that it can only tell about your mother’s mother’s mothers but cannot give information of your mother’s father or even any maternal ancestry. The test can precisely identify the close relationship with haplogroup which is a set with a single and common ancestor. According to history, persons living within the same region are likely to be of the same haplogroup or even have a close relationship with each other. That is an indication that haplogroup can identify the origin of the maternal line. It can help in locating distant relatives although some can have a very distant relationship. In some situations, mtDNA can identify fifty generations or more meaning that while a perfect match shows that you are related, one could be the forty-eighth cousins.

Reliability

To use either of the two tests, it depends on what you would like to know. To most genealogists and companies, they prefer autosomal DNA test because it is useful in finding a more significant range of living parents as well as ancestors. It can give reasonable estimates of ethnicity or even the religion of the place at which ancestors lived (Kato et al. 1282). The main disadvantage with this test is that it gets jumbled after few generations and hence become unreliable to more than five generations. When combined with websites that can let one know his or her close matches, autosomal provides a better path to finding other people looking for the same tree as you. mtDNA helps people to trace one line because it only identifies the maternal path. It can be used to prove common ancestors with another person, but only on the maternal side, however, it is possible to trace many generations back. The test is less useful in the case where one is finding living relatives and also seems to be a more expensive process. Governments can chip in and help in reducing the cost issue.

How DNA is collected

For the vast part of this process, there is no difference between the two methods. They are both obtained through saliva sample or cheek swab depending on the company you plan to visit. Mostly, professionals use cheek swabs where the tested person is so young that he cannot give saliva or too old to provide.

Benefits

These genealogical testing have become more popular due to their ease since people can perform it at home and their advantages supplement genealogical research. They allow people to determine their relationship with another person within a specified timeframe; taken as more conclusive, scientific and more expeditious than searching the recorded public documents.

Drawbacks

Most of the common issues concerning the DNA tests are privacy and cost issues. Some companies use an individual’s sample without an agreement. Legal concepts of autonomy are always a basis for decisions protecting people’s bodily integrity. Notably, some cases have said that adults have the right to choose whether to take medical intervention or not. Before making such decisions, they have the right to get information of facts that could be beneficial material to help them in making a choice such as their condition and prognosis, the possible risks and the importance of the treatment or test (TallBear). Also, they can be informed on the alternatives. In the genetics, some health professionals have been liable for not giving the required information about the test availability. People should be given the full right of being informed about the subsequent use of the removed tissue from their body.

The federal regulation has a leeway to govern research around human subjects to ensure analysis on blood samples provided for genetic tests as long as they are anonymous and the following exploit was not predictable at the collection time. In the case of possible predictability on additional analysis at the time of sample collection, informed consent to use it should be obtained before the taking the original sample. Law enforcers should ensure they take their place and protect each person’s privacy. These tests do some of the things well, but sometimes they reveal complications due to false paternity, rare mutation or even secret adoption. The only solution to such an issue is honesty between spouses or explanation from professional medics. If researchers find a perfect match in a mtDNA test, then it can be constructive, but sometimes it encounters difficulties especially if the research is according to traditional genealogies because of not recording matrilineal surname in a significant number of cultures.

Though DNA tests have no information concerning an individual’s health such as genetic disorders and diseases, a relationship exists between infertility, lack of DYS464 indicators and mtDNA haplogroup H as well as safeguarding from sepsis. MtDNA testing is controversial because it has a possibility of revealing medical information. The best DNA tests are when combined with genealogical records to conclude on relationships, those tests are purely harmless, and people need just to give saliva samples or cheek swabs.

Work cited

Bettinger, Blaine T., and Debbie Parker Wayne. Genetic Genealogy in Practice. National Genealogical Society, 2016.

Calafell, Francesc, and Maarten HD Larmuseau. "The Y chromosome as the most popular marker in genetic genealogy benefits interdisciplinary research." Human genetics 136.5 (2017): 559-573.

Kato, Norihiro, et al. "Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study identifies 12 genetic loci influencing blood pressure and implicates a role for DNA methylation." Nature genetics 47.11 (2015): 1282-1293.

TallBear, Kim. Native American DNA: Tribal belonging and the false promise of genetic science. University of Minnesota Press, 2013.