23andMe, a company that sells genetic testing kits, has released their list of the top ten genetic findings from 2010. They feel that these were the most interesting and significant genetic findings from the past year. Research about the human genome is still ongoing, and it will be interesting to see what is learned about heritable diseases in the 2011. For genealogists, these discoveries in genetics may reveal a lot about what diseases or conditions run in a family.
23andMe published their top ten list on their blog, which is called “The Spittoon”. They sell DNA test kits that can help you discover your risk of developing 94 different diseases, can predict how you will respond to certain drugs, and can help reveal your ancestral origins. In order to use the kit, you provide a sample of your saliva. To do this, you basically have to spit into the collection tube that they provide. I find it amusing that they named their blog after a spittoon, which is an object that is designed for people to spit into.
Some of the things that 23andMe selected as the top genetic findings in 2010 are of interest to genealogists. One finding they selected has to do with body shape. An analysis done by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits consortium (GIANT) revealed that genetics influence whether a person’s body will be an apple shape or pear shape. There are 14 different single nucleotide polymorphisms that are associated with body fat distribution. Those who are apple shaped have weight that collects around their middle. This group is more at a greater risk for developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes than their pear counterparts.
Other interesting findings had to do with childhood asthma. One study revealed that a specific single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) had a different effect on children, depending on what their ethnic background was. Another study looked for genetic associations with allergy susceptibility. Often, allergies and asthma are two conditions that many people feel are connected. The study, however, found very little genetic overlap. The implication is that allergy sensitivity might be an effect of asthma, instead of the cause of asthma.
What else made the list? Studies involving the genetics behind rheumatoid arthritis, alzheimer’s disease, and aging. There was a lot of talk about the genetics behind aging when a highly predictive model based on 150 SNPs was published in “Science” in July of 2010. However, scientists were skeptical about the study. This lead to a lot of discussion about aging and longevity on the 23and Me website, and may have been the reason why this topic was selected for their top ten list.
Image by Stuart Caie on Flickr