Divergence between human populations estimated from linkage disequilibrium.

ABSTRACT: Observed linkage disequilibrium (LD) between genetic markers in different populations descended independently from a common ancestral population can be used to estimate their absolute time of divergence, because the correlation of LD between populations will be reduced each generation by an amount that, approximately, depends only on the recombination rate between markers. Although drift leads to divergence in allele frequencies, it has less effect on divergence in LD values. We derived the relationship between LD and time of divergence and verified it with coalescent simulations. We then used HapMap Phase II data to estimate time of divergence between human populations. Summed over large numbers of pairs of loci, we find a positive correlation of LD between African and non-African populat

SUBMITTER: Sved JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2668062 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature