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FTDNA Announces Big Y-500 (over 400 new STRs!)

Posted on by bmstaples

In conjunction with the National DNA Day Sales, FamilyTreeDNA.com announced the Big Y test is now called Big Y-500 and will include approximately 500 Y-STR results in addition to the SNPs that were traditional reported via the Big Y.

Everyone who has already taken a Big Y will receive updated results showing a 6th Panel of results with markers 111 through 561!  The additional panel was made possible by the recent Build 38 of the Human Genome.

According to the release notes to Group Administrators, “Customers who purchase a Big Y-500 will also have to purchase or upgrade to the Y-DNA111 test.  However, customers do not have to have a Y-STR test already before purchasing the Big Y-500 since it contains the Y-111.  Big Y without STRs will no longer be available.”

For PSHG members (or prospective PSHG members), where Y-111 is required for full membership, we can order the Y-111 test at a non-sale cost of $339 (normally $359).  The Y-111 to Big Y-500 Upgrade is normally $449 (which does not reflect sale prices).  This  totals $788 for those wanting full PSHG membership + access to their “Singleton” or Direct Paternal Lineage SNPs.  Since the Big Y-500 stand alone test is $799, there’s currently no benefit to recommend skipping an initial Y-111 test to go directly to ordering a Big Y-500.  This could change in the future if FTNDA offers a Group Discount for Big Y-500.

It is not yet clear how useful these additional results will be from a genetic genealogical point of view.  Support groups like the R1b-U106 project are not yet able to offer specific insight; however, Dr. Iain McDonald has made some speculations, as written in a forum post:

“- The new STRs are shorter and their mutation rates lower.  Very, very preliminary(!) work based on STR variances suggests the mutation rate in the new sample is around one mutation per 14 generations.  This contrasts with one per 3.4 generations for the original Y-111, and suggests an overall Y-STR mutation rate over the Y-500 STR set of once per 2.8 generations…

– There are some clearly useful, slow STR mutations in there that will define useful family branches in some cases where SNPs have not.  There are also some faster markers that appear to flip back and forth between two or more states.

– On the basis of this information, we should be able to use these results in several aspects of U106 research, including the layering of family trees and more precise computation of ages…Proper research on this will take many months…”

As usual with DNA research, time & research reveals new types of analysis and new results to consider.  The continued sharing of DNA information will enable researchers to continue their work to explain what it all means.

 

2018 DNA Day Sales

Posted on by bmstaples

Wednesday, April 25, 2018 is National DNA Day!  Details about the recognition of the day can be found on the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute website.

FamilyTreeDNA.com is celebrating by offering sales on several products.

The Y-111 test, a requirement for full PSHG membership, is on sale for $289 USD (normally $359 retail / $339 through project order).

PSHG Members who have already taken the Y111 STR test can upgrade to the Big Y-500 for only $349 USD (normally $449)!  This is a great price for those interested in finding their Direct Paternal Lineage (DPL) SNPs below FGC-13609.

FTDNA has announced a new product called Big Y-500 which is a combination test of the traditional Big Y + Y111 for $649 USD (normally $799).  We’ll explore the Big Y-500 test and the changes from the traditional Big Y test in a future Blog post.

Details for the sale can be found on their sale website (https://www.familytreedna.com/sale/dna-day); however, PSHG members (or prospective members) should contact an admin before ordering.  FTDNA sales end 4/28/2018.

Other non-Y DNA tests are also on sale including mtFull Sequence and Family Finder (autosomal DNA).  Not to be outdone, Ancestry.com’s autosomal DNA test is at it’s lowest price of $59 USD until 4/29/2018.

Happy testing!

PSHG Haplotype and Genetic Distance

Posted on by bmstaples

A new page is launched under our Results > Technical Data section – PSHG Haplotype Technical Data.

In the last post we talked about the Y-SNP Haplotree and how we organize clades by branching SNPs.  Today we return to the other method of analyzing Y-DNA, Y-STRs.  Refer to the following blog posts if you need a refresher on the concepts of Y-STRs and Genetic Distance: Mutating DNA; Partner Profiles – FTDNA.

The International Society of Genetic Genealogists defines a Y-DNA Haplotype as, “the marker (allele) values obtained from a Y-STR (short tandem repeart) test.  The result for each marker is expressed as a number.”

Let’s look at the first few markers and values of the PSHG Modal Haplotype:

PSHG Haplotype Y7

  • DYS398, DYS390, DYS19, DYS391, DYS385a, DYS385b, and DYS426 across the top row represent the FTDNA names of the Y-STR markers.  Specifically this refers to the named location on the Y Chromosome where a short tandem repeat is identified.
  • The names above, in their order, can be referred to by marker number: 1 – 7 is shown below, but latest Y-STR tests analyze 111 markers.
  • The values of the test result are in the third row.  This number value represents the number of STRs which are found at that marker – your DNA signature.

Example: At Marker #1, named DYS393 by FTDNA, the PSHG Modal Haplotype has a value of 13.

Each person with Y-STR results has their own haplotype.  Patterns emerge when comparing groups of related Y-STR111 test results, even if those group members are related at 8th cousins!  While individual values may differ, if there are enough member test results, a Modal Haplotypes can be established.

Genetic Distance is a way to measure and compare how closely (or far) one haplotype is to another.  Our Haplotype Technical Data page shows a comparison of the PSHG Modal Haplotype compared to those at R1b-FGC13595 and further upstream at R1b-U106.

Visit the PSHG Haplotype Technical Data page to see this detail and to understand how the Genetic Distance compares to other upstream haplotypes.

References:

  1. ISOGG Wiki definition of Haplotype, https://isogg.org/wiki/Haplotype
  2. FTDNA Learning Center, https://www.familytreedna.com/learn/user-guide/y-dna-myftdna/y-str-results-page/

PSHG Haplotree and SNP Detail

Posted on by bmstaples

In a previous blog post, we defined what a SNP is and discussed the haplotree upstream of the PSHG SNPs.  In this post we take another look at the PSHG Haplotree by introducing a new page and taking a dive deep.  We’ll also talk a little bit about SNP naming.

For those new to genetic genealogy or Y-DNA analysis, the concept of SNPs can be intimidating.  One of the reasons may be seemingly abstract SNP names which represent the mutation of an allele at a very specific numeric position on the Y Chromosome.

SNPs are named when a researcher or DNA testing company identifies an unnamed variant in a test kit’s results, validates that it’s viable for genetic genealogy, and is able to develop a primer for it.  You can easily identify each testing company by looking at the SNP prefix.

A – named by YSEQ (see Partner Profile post)

BY – named by FTDNA (see Partner Profile post)

FGC – named by Full Genome Corp (see https://www.fullgenomes.com/)

S – named by James F. Wilson, D. Phil of Edinburgh University

Therefore, we know the PSHG SNP of FGC13609 was named by Full Genome Corp.  What else can we find out about this SNP?  We turn to the ISOGG YBrowse tool (http://ybrowse.org/gb2/gbrowse/chrY/?).  Enter FGC13609 into the “Search Landmark or Region” field and click Search.  With the default resolution set to “Show 1 bp” we see below a diagram and location of the SNP on the Y Chromosome and a reference scale.

YBrowse FGC13609

In case the image is too small, click the image to browse to the page.

Click on the yellow & red highlighted FGC13609 in the middle of the page to see SNP details.  Here we can find:

  • Position at 20919447
  • Mutation from T to G
  • Comment including position downstream of DF96
  • Named (ref:) by Full Genomes Corp. (2016)

Sometimes a SNP is named by multiple companies.  Take A16447 which is also known as BY16815.  Search for it in Ybrowse and notice that while it has two names, the chrY position and allele mutation are the same.

Multiple SNPs can also be grouped together.  For example, the group FGC13609, FGC13605, FGC13601, and A1230 are all SNPs shares by 2 PSHG members who have taken the BigY test from FTDNA.  These SNPs will remain grouped together until a test new BigY test taker comes along having one or more, but not all, of those SNPs.  If and when this happens, we learn more about the branches of our Haplotree as it evolves based on the results of additional testing and analysis.

Our website has a new page for keeping an updated haplotree including a table of Y-SNPs from FGC13602 including name, position, and base mutation.  Please visit PSHG Haplotree Technical Data!

References:

  1. https://haplogroup.org/y-snps-name-prefixes/
  2. http://ybrowse.org/gb2/gbrowse/chrY/?
  3. http://ybrowse.org/gb2/gbrowse/chrY/?start=NaN;stop=NaN;ref=chrY;width=1024;version=100;flip=0;grid=1;id=48e2e755cb23efc3caa35dad3cad845d;l=snps%1EDNA%1Eindel%1EdbSNP150%1ESTR%1ECYT%3Aoverview;h_feat=fgc13609%40yellow

FTDNA Holiday Sale – Update!

Posted on by bmstaples

The 2017 Holiday Sale has begun at Family Tree DNA.  The Y-111 DNA Test (required for PSHG Membership) is on sale for $299 – a savings of $60 off of the regular price.  Visit https://www.familytreedna.com/sale for sale details.

The sale will continue until December 31, 2017.  As we draw closer to the holidays, Admins expect to receive coupon codes to further reduce costs.

UPDATE – 15 NOV 2017

FTDNA Users and Group Administrators are now receiving weekly coupons.  As Group Administrators we have access to a collection of coupon codes, so contact an Admin if you’re interested in a specific test.

Coupons are ranging from:

  • $10 – $20 off for yDNA 37/67/111
  • $10 – $30 off for mtDNA
  • $5 off for Family Finder (atDNA)
  • $25 off for BigY

The holidays are a great time to test if you’ve been on the fence!

FTDNA Friends & Family Sale

Posted on by bmstaples

FamilyTreeDNA notified Group Administrators that the “Friends & Family Sale” will start tomorrow, August 1st at 10 am CDT.

The graphic below (courtesy of FTNDA) was included in the notification and seems to indicate that the Sales are primarily targeted to Add-on & Upgrade Tests.

2017-friends-family-ftdna-sale

This is a great opportunity for PSHG Members who have already tested with Y-111 and may be interested in ordering the BigY test; however, it’s not yet clear if the Y-111 new test will also be discounted – which is potentially disappointing for pending members.

Check back for updates!

Update – 2 Aug 2017: Y-111 single test is not included on the summer sale.

FTDNA New Sign In Page & Backbone SNP Pack

Posted on by bmstaples

FamilyTreeDNA.com made a couple of announcements this past week.

First, a new sign in page.  You shouldn’t notice any difference in behavior.  For Project Administrators it clarifies that either a Kit Number or GAP Username can be used to login.  If you have a bookmark or favorite saved, you might need to update it to: https://www.familytreedna.com/sign-in

FTDNA Sign In

There were also some changes to their Password settings:

  • The Password Reset will send a link to the kit’s primary email address.  If you have any issues with this, contact an administrator.
  • While the password qualification still between 5 – 25 characters, passwords are now case sensitive.

The second announcement came in a new product offer – “R1b-M343 & M269v2 Backbone SNP Pack”.  Since PSHG members belong to the upstream haplogroup R1b-M343 (which includes R-M269) you may have received an email about about the new product.  Since PSHG members first test for the downstream SNPs FGC13609/FGC13605, this new SNP pack will probably not provide you any benefit.

For members interested in their SNPs downstream from FGC13609/FGC13605, the BigY test is recommended.

Celebrate DNA Day with Discounts!

Posted on by bmstaples

April 25 is National DNA Day!  What better way to celebrate than to buy DNA Tests – ON SALE!

FamilyTreeDNA is offering sales on all of their products:

2017 DNA Day Sales

PSHG Members will have already ordered the Y111 test – so Y37, Y67, SNP Backbone, and SNP Packs may not be of much interest.  However, if you’re interested in your SNPs downstream of FGC13609 and FGC13609, now is a great time to order the BigY!  I heard it reported from others that the BigY test has never been this cheap without a coupon code.

Stock up on Family Finder for Autosomal DNA testing or mtFull Sequence for mitochondrial DNA testing.  Rumor has it that AncestryDNA (autosomal) tests will also be on sale, but I have not seen this yet (US market).

Don’t miss this one.  We’ll have to wait and see if there will be sales around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, late Summer, and Christmas.

Happy testing.