Male and female mutation rates

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Paul Nutteing - 01 Apr 2006 10:32 GMT

http://www.cstl.nist.gov/div831/strbase/mutation.htm
has a table of loci commonly used in forensic science
DNA profile analysis.

Would I be correct in saying that the male mutation rates
are higher than the female rates because in males
the germ-cell line continues dividing through
childhood into adulthood but the
female germ-cell line is set at birth.?

Reply to this Message

Bob - 02 Apr 2006 17:15 GMT

>http://www.cstl.nist.gov/div831/strbase/mutation.htm
>has a table of loci commonly used in forensic science
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>childhood into adulthood but the
>female germ-cell line is set at birth.?

That point is logical. But without knowing how all the other things
that affect mutation rate might vary between M/F, I would caution
against over-interpretation. That is, the point you make is one of
several that might be involved. (How the DNA is packaged and the level
of repair enzymes would be major factors.)

bob

Reply to this Message

Paul Nutteing - 02 Apr 2006 22:24 GMT

> >http://www.cstl.nist.gov/div831/strbase/mutation.htm
> >has a table of loci commonly used in forensic science
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> bob

I could see long term environmental/pollution/ionising radiation factors
could differentially affect female mutations just because any
particular egg is around for a long time wheras a single
sperm is so ephemeral in comparison.

Reply to this Message