Measures of human population structure show heterogeneity among genomic regions

• DOI: 10.1101/gr.4398405
• Publication Date: 2005-10-26T19:28:03Z
• Authors: Bruce S. Weir; Lon R. Cardon; Amy D. Anderson; Dahlia M. Nielsen; William G. Hill
• Keywords: Linkage Disequilibrium; International HapMap Project; Identity by descent

Estimates of genetic population structure ( F ST ) were constructed from all autosomes in two large SNP data sets. The Perlegen set contains genotypes on ∼1 million SNPs segregating three samples Americans African, Asian, and European descent; the Phase I HapMap ∼0.6 four specific Caucasian, Chinese, Japanese, Yoruba populations. Substantial heterogeneity values was found between segments within chromosomes, although there similarity There also substantial among population-specific values, with relative sizes these often changing along each chromosome. Population-structure estimates are used as indicators natural selection, but analyses presented here show that individual-marker too variable to be useful. is inherent variation statistics because genealogy even neutral loci, at pairs loci correlated an extent reflects linkage disequilibrium them. Furthermore, it may best indications selection will come rather than usually reported population-average values.