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K K Kidd

Publications and source records attributed to K K Kidd.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Allele frequencies in a worldwide survey of a CA repeat in the first intron of the CFTR gene.

A dinucleotide CA repeat within intron 1 of the CFTR gene has recently been identified. We have determined the allele frequencies of this polymorphism in samples from 18 populations covering all major geographical areas, with a total of 1,816 chromosomes. When considering allele distributions, African populations presented a wider range of alleles than other populations and also presented higher expected heterozygosities. Analysis of molecular variance showed that 8.04% of the genetic variance in this locus could be attributed to differences among populations. We concluded that the polymorphism in the CA repeat in intron 1 of the CFTR gene is highly informative in populations from all geographical regions of the world. Thus, it can be applied to family studies of unknown mutations causing cystic fibrosis (CF) and can provide valuable information for genetic counseling. Moreover, its analysis should be included in the haplotypic analysis of known CF mutations.

Alleles↗

No association between DRD2 locus and alcoholism after controlling the ADH and ALDH genotypes in Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies on the genetics of alcoholism have examined the association between alcoholism and the dopamine D2 receptor locus (DRD2); our study of Chinese Han gave negative results (Lu et al., 1996). The different genotypes at the genes encoding the enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism, class one alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2 and ADH3) and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2), have previously been shown to confer different predispositions to the development of alcoholism in Chinese Han males (Thomasson et al., 1991; Chen WJ et al., 1996; Chen CC et al., unpublished data). Therefore, association studies of alcoholism in Chinese Han might be more sensitive if controlled for the genotypes of ADH2,ADH3, and ALDH2, when other loci, such as DRD2, are examined. This study employs such controls to evaluate the evidence for an association between alcoholism and TaqI-A and TaqI-B genotypes and haplotypes at DRD2 in the Chinese Han population. METHODS: We studied 213 Chinese Han subjects (128 alcoholics and 85 nonalcoholics) with alcohol dependence defined according to DSM-III-R criteria. RESULTS: Significant linkage disequilibrium was observed between the TaqI-A and TaqI-B sites at the DRD2 locus, as previously seen in smaller samples, but no significant association was observed between these genetic variants at the DRD2 locus and alcoholism in Chinese Han. Several different stratifications by ADH and ALDH2 genotypes were examined; no genotypes or haplotypes at DRD2 differ between alcoholics and nonalcoholics except for a small number of nominally significant p-values which do not constitute significant results given the many tests done, some of which are not independent of one another due to linkage disequilibrium. These tests included considering the high risk (ADH2*1/*1; *1/*2; ADH3*1/*2; *2/*2; and ALDH2*1/*1) and the low risk (ADH2*2/*2; ADH3*1/*1; and ALDH2*1/*2; *2/*2) groups of alcoholics, as well as nonalcoholic controls. CONCLUSIONS: After stratification by the relevant genotypes of ADH2, ADH3, and ALDH2 no significant association exists between the genetic variants at the DRD2 locus and alcoholism in the Chinese Han population.

Alcohol Dehydrogenase↗

Genetic structure of the ancestral population of modern humans.

Neutral DNA polymorphisms from an 8-kb segment of the dystrophin gene, previously ascertained in a worldwide sample (n = 250 chromosomes), were used to characterize the population ancestral to the present-day human groups. The ancestral state of each polymorphic site was determined by comparing human variants with their orthologous sites in the great apes. The "age before fixation" of the underlying mutations was estimated from the frequencies of the new alleles and analyzed in the context of these polymorphisms' distribution among 13 populations from Africa, Europe, Asia, New Guinea, and the Americas (n = 860 chromosomes in total). Seventeen polymorphisms older tan 100,000-200,000 years, which contributed approximately 90% to the overall nucleotide diversity, were common to all human groups. Polymorphisms endemic to human groups or continentally restricted were younger than 100,000-200,000 years. Africans (six populations) with 13 such sites stood out from the rest of the world (seven populations), where only 2 population-specific variants were observed. The similarity of the frequencies of the old polymorphisms in Africans and non-Africans suggested a similar profile of genetic variability in the population before the modern human's divergence. This ancestral population was characterized by an effective size of about 10,000 as estimated from the nucleotide diversity; this size may describe the number of breeding individuals over a long time during the Middle Pleistocene or reflect a speciation bottleneck from an initially larger population at the end of this period.

Alleles↗

A global survey of haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium at the DRD2 locus.

A four-site haplotype system at the dopamine D2 receptor locus (DRD2) has been studied in a global sample of 28 distinct populations. The haplotype system spans about 25 kb, encompassing the coding region of the gene. The four individual markers include three TaqI restriction site polymorphisms (RSPs) -- TaqI "A", "B", and "D" sites -- and one dinucleotide short tandem repeat polymorphism (STRP). All four of the marker systems are polymorphic in all regions of the world and in most individual populations. The haplotype system shows the highest average heterozygosity in Africa, a slightly lower average heterozygosity in Europe, and the lowest average heterozygosities in East Asia and the Americas. Across all populations, 20 of the 48 possible haplotypes reached a frequency of at least 5% in at least one population sample. However, no single population had more than six haplotypes reaching that frequency. In general, African populations had more haplotypes present in each population and more haplotypes occurring at a frequency of at least 5% in that population. Permutation tests for significance of overall disequilibrium (all sites considered simultaneously) were highly significant (P<0.001) in all 28 populations. Except for three African samples, the pairwise disequilibrium between the outermost RSP markers, TaqI "B" and "A", was highly significant with D' values greater than 0.8; in two of those exceptions the RSP marker was not polymorphic. Except for those same two African populations, the 16-repeat allele at the STRP also showed highly significant disequilibrium with the TaqI "B" site in all populations, with D' values usually greater than 0.7. Only four haplotypes account for more than 70% of all chromosomes in virtually all non-African populations, and two of those haplotypes account for more than 70% of all chromosomes in most East Asian and Amerindian populations. A new measure of the amount of overall disequilibrium shows least disequilibrium in African populations, somewhat more in European populations, and the greatest amount in East Asian and Amerindian populations. This pattern seems best explained by random genetic drift with low levels of recombination, a low mutation rate at the STRP, and essentially no recurrent mutation at the RSP sites, all in conjunction with an "Out of Africa" model for recent human evolution.

Alleles↗

Short tandem repeat polymorphism evolution in humans.

Forty-five dinucleotide short tandem repeat polymorphisms were typed in ten large samples of a globally distributed set of populations. Although these markers had been selected for high heterozygosity in European populations, we found them to be sufficiently informative for linkage analysis in non-Europeans. Heterozygosity, mean number of alleles, and mean number of private alleles followed a common trend: they were highest in the African samples, were somewhat lower in Europeans and East Asians, and were lowest in Amerindians. Genetic distances also reflected this pattern, and distances modelled after the stepwise mutation model yielded trees that were less in agreement with other genetic and archaeological evidence than distances based on differentiation by drift (FST). Genetic variation in non-Africans seems to be a subset of that in Africans, supporting the replacement hypothesis for the origin of modern humans.

Alleles↗

OA1 mutations and deletions in X-linked ocular albinism.

X-linked ocular albinism (OA1), Nettleship-Falls type, is characterized by decreased ocular pigmentation, foveal hypoplasia, nystagmus, photodysphoria, and reduced visual acuity. Affected males usually demonstrate melanin macroglobules on skin biopsy. We now report results of deletion and mutation screening of the full-length OA1 gene in 29 unrelated North American and Australian X-linked ocular albinism (OA) probands, including five with additional, nonocular phenotypic abnormalities (Schnur et al. 1994). We detected 13 intragenic gene deletions, including 3 of exon 1, 2 of exon 2, 2 of exon 4, and 6 others, which span exons 2-8. Eight new missense mutations were identified, which cluster within exons 1, 2, 3, and 6 in conserved and/or putative transmembrane domains of the protein. There was also a splice acceptor-site mutation, a nonsense mutation, a single base deletion, and a previously reported 17-bp exon 1 deletion. All patients with nonocular phenotypic abnormalities had detectable mutations. In summary, 26 (approximately 90%) of 29 probands had detectable alterations of OA1, thus confirming that OA1 is the major locus for X-linked OA.

Albinism, Ocular↗

A global haplotype analysis of the myotonic dystrophy locus: implications for the evolution of modern humans and for the origin of myotonic dystrophy mutations.

Haplotypes consisting of the (CTG)n repeat, as well as several flanking markers at the myotonic dystrophy (DM) locus, were analyzed in normal individuals from 25 human populations (5 African, 2 Middle Eastern, 3 European, 6 East Asian, 3 Pacific/Australo-Melanesian, and 6 Amerindian) and in five nonhuman primate species. Non-African populations have a subset of the haplotype diversity present in Africa, as well as a shared pattern of allelic association. (CTG)18-35 alleles (large normal) were observed only in northeastern African and non-African populations and exhibit strong linkage disequilibrium with three markers flanking the (CTG)n repeat. The pattern of haplotype diversity and linkage disequilibrium observed supports a recent African-origin model of modern human evolution and suggests that the original mutation event that gave rise to DM-causing alleles arose in a population ancestral to non-Africans prior to migration of modern humans out of Africa.

Alleles↗

Network analyses of Y-chromosomal types in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia reveal specific patterns of geographic distribution.

In a study of 908 males from Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, the variation of four Y-linked dinucleotide microsatellites was analyzed within three "frames" that are defined by mutations that are nonrecurrent, or nearly so. The rapid generation and extinction of new dinucleotide length variants causes the haplotypes within each lineage to diverge from one another. We constructed networks of "adjacent" haplotypes within each frame, by assuming changes of a single dinucleotide unit. Two small and six large networks were obtained, the latter including 94.9% of the sampled Y chromosomes. We show that the phenetic relationships among haplotypes, represented as a network, result largely from common descent and subsequent molecular radiation. The grouping of haplotypes of the same network thus fits an evolutionarily relevant criterion. Notably, this method allows the total diversity within a sample to be partitioned. Networks can be considered optimal markers for population studies, because reliable frequency estimates can be obtained in small samples. We present synthetic maps describing the incidence of different Y-chromosomal lineages in the extant human populations of the surveyed areas. Dinucleotide diversity also was used to infer time intervals for the coalescence of each network.

Africa, Northern↗

Evolution of a D2 dopamine receptor intron within the great apes and humans.

Although direct DNA sequencing may allow rapid and high quality comparative phylogenetic analyses among species, such an approach may not be the most efficient method by which to make a large number of cross-species comparisons. We illustrate the use of Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) to screen a D2 Dopamine Receptor intron for DNA sequence variation, both within and between closely related species, in order to infer their evolutionary relationships. Our results suggest that: a) humans have less genetic variation than the great apes; b) pygmy chimpanzees have less genetic variation than common chimpanzees; and c) DNA sequence comparative analyses of primates require adequate sampling, both in number and in geographical range.

Animals↗

Analyses of cross species polymerase chain reaction products to infer the ancestral state of human polymorphisms.

In numerous population genetic and disease association studies decisions about the ancestry of polymorphic alleles are often made based on the relative frequency of the alleles in the extant populations with the most frequent allele being deemed as ancestral. However, the frequency of an allele in a population is generally not a perfect indicator of its ancestral status. A more accurate method to assess ancestral/derived status of polymorphic alleles involves identification of shared alleles between species. We used this strategy to examine genomic regions homologous to several human polymorphisms in four species of non-human primates. Cross species polymerase chain reaction (CS-PCR), with primers designed from human sequence, was used to investigate regions of interest. Nineteen polymorphisms at six loci (DRD2, HOXB@, PAH, D4S10, RBP3, and RET) were examined either by restriction fragment length analysis of PCR products (PCR-RFLP) or by direct sequencing. At seventeen of the eighteen PCR-RFLPs, non-human primates were monomorphic and identical to each other for either lack of restriction enzyme site or presence of the site. Thus, at these seventeen polymorphic sites the shared alleles are most likely to be the ancestral ones in humans. In several cases we have used sequence data to further demonstrate that the nucleotide at the site of the polymorphism is conserved between species confirming the hypothesis of a single ancestral allele. However, not all human alleles can be simply resolved into ancestral and derived; sequence data from one PCR-RFLP (in an intron of the PAH locus) and a single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of the DRD2 gene illustrate this point.

Alleles↗

Nuclear DNA diversity in worldwide distributed human populations.

Nucleotide variation was examined in an 8 kb intronic DNA bordering exon 44 of the human dystrophin gene on Xp21. Thirty-six polymorphisms (substitutions, small insertions/deletions and one (T)n microsatellite) were found using SSCP/heteroduplex analysis of DNA samples from mixed Europeans, Papua New Guineans as well as from six African, three Asian and two Amerindian populations. In this way the European bias in the nuclear polymorphism ascertainment has been avoided. In a maximum likelihood tree constructed from the frequency data, Africans clustered separately from the non-African populations. Fifteen polymorphisms were shared among most of the populations compared, whereas 13 sites were found to be endemic to Africans and four to non-Africans. The common sites contributed most to the average heterozygosity (Hn=0.101%+/-0.023), whereas the endemic ones, being rare, had little effect on this estimate. The F(ST) values were lower for Africans (0.072) than for non-Africans (0.158), suggesting a higher level of gene exchange within Africa, corroborating the observation of a greater number of segregating sites on this continent than elsewhere. The data suggest a recent common origin of the African and non-African populations, where a greater geographical isolation of the latter resulted in a smaller number of newly acquired polymorphisms.

Cell Nucleus↗

Population genetics of a functional variant of the dopamine beta-hydroxylase gene (DBH).

Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (E.C. 1.14.17.1; protein abbreviation: DbetaH) catalyzes conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine. Previous work identified two expressed alleles of the gene encoding DbetaH (locus symbol DBH), containing either G or T at nucleotide position 910, resulting in specification by codon 304 of alanine (DBH*304A) or serine (DBH*304S), respectively. The current study employed denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to identify these alleles, and after developing a PCR RFLP for rapid genotyping, estimated the frequencies of the alleles in African-Americans, European-Americans, and in several geographically dispersed populations (Mbuti, Danes, Adygei, Chinese, Japanese, Surui, Maya, and Nasioi). DBH*304A was the most common allele in all populations tested, with allele frequencies greater than 0.80 in each case. There was significant heterogeneity in allele frequency across population groups. The DBH*304S allele was most common in subjects of African descent, and least common in East Asians and individuals from indigenous populations of North and South America. The frequency of DBH*304S was significantly higher in African-Americans (0.16) than in European-Americans (0.06; P < 0.004). Of the four DBH*304S homozygotes observed, all were Europeans and three of the four were Danes. Based on empirical P-values generated by computer simulation, the observed proportions of DBH*304S homozygotes did not differ significantly from Hardy-Weinberg expectations in any of the populations after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. The observation of significant heterogeneity in DBH*304S allele frequency across different population samples demonstrates the importance of controlling for population stratification in future studies testing for associations between DBH*304S and clinical phenotypes.

Alleles↗

Rapid molecular haplotyping of the first exon of the human dopamine D4 receptor gene by heteroduplex analysis.

The dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) and its products are of great interest in many neurospsychiatric disorders. There are at least five expressed polymorphisms in exons 1 and 3, plus rare expressed variants, all of which may have functional relevance. Several studies have described methods for studying the exon 3 polymorphisms, especially the VNTR; fewer reports have documented the exon 1 polymorphisms and variants of DRD4. We report here a simple, rapid, nonisotopic, nondenaturing heteroduplex method for determining the molecular haplotype composed of the two more polymorphic systems of the first exon of DRD4: the 12 bp duplication and 13 bp deletion. This method will facilitate future research on expressed variation of this gene.

Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel↗