Maximum-likelihood estimation of recent shared ancestry (ERSA)

[I2a1a]

Интересная статья, непосредственно касающаяся методов оценки генетической дистанции по аутосомам.

Maximum-likelihood estimation of recent shared ancestry (ERSA)

http://genome.cshlp.org/content/early/2011/02/08/gr.115972.110

Accurate estimation of recent shared ancestry is important for genetics, evolution, medicine, conservation biology, and forensics. Established methods estimate kinship accurately for first- through third-degree relatives. We demonstrate that chromosomal segments shared by two individuals due to identity by descent (IBD) provide much additional information about shared ancestry. We developed a maximum-likelihood method for the estimation of recent shared ancestry (ERSA) from the number and lengths of IBD segments derived from high-density SNP or whole-genome sequence data. We used ERSA to estimate relationships from SNP genotypes in 169 individuals from three large, well-defined human pedigrees. ERSA is accurate to within one degree of relationship for 97% of first- through fifth-degree relatives and 80% of sixth- and seventh-degree relatives. We demonstrate that ERSA's statistical power approaches the maximum theoretical limit imposed by the fact that distant relatives frequently share no DNA through a common ancestor. ERSA greatly expands the range of relationships that can be estimated from genetic data and is implemented in a freely available software package.