Y Chromosome DNA Testing

07 Jul 2017

Nowadays there are a range of DNA tests available to ascertain a vast range of biological relationships between people. The Y chromosome test is just one of the tests.  The competitive DNA testing industry also means you can find very well priced y-chromosome tests.

 The Y Chromosome

The Y chromosome is specifically and solely found in males. It is of course, the chromosome which determines the characteristics as pertaining to the male sex.  Males have 23 pairs of XY chromosomes. The number of genes carried on the y chromosome is however very small when compared to the number carried in the X. The Y chromosome carries somewhere between 70 and 200 genes; the X chromosome, on the other hand, carries around between 900 and 1400 genes. Some genes are specific to the y-chromosome whilst other genes are found on both the X and Y chromosomes. Certain disorders such as male infertility and testicular disorders are also linked to the Y chromosome.

 Y Chromosome Testing : When is it Used?

The y-chromosome test is just one of several relationship DNA tests. This test is of course, only possible when males are involved in testing. If females are involved then one would needs tests other than the X chromosomes test due to the fact that females do not have this chromosome.

When you cannot do a Paternity DNA Test: in this case, if two males suspect they may be siblings, a y-chromosome test can at least give a reliable indication that the descend from the same paternal line. However, the siblings in question need to have an idea of the relationship between them. A y chromosome test cannot conclude you share the same father. The test is thus, useful to cousins and uncles because it can establish a common male lineage.

Crime Investigations and Infidelity DNA Testing:  Any stains found at a crime scene or on some garment used in an infidelity test can be tested for the presence of this chromosome and other sex determining genes to know whether the stain belongs to a male. Moreover, a match could potentially be made between the stain and its donor and thus, the cheater in a relationship or the criminal in a crime scene can be caught out.

Ancestry DNA Testing and Genealogy: As stated, the Y chromosome is handed down from generation to generation and importantly, has a low rate of mutation. This means that a y-chromosome test can connect people to their ancestors by for example, testing the remains of a buried alleged ancestor. If a same Y-chromosome profile is shared, they share the same paternal line. Alleged, living male relative can of course, also do this test to establish whether they are truly related.

Y Chromosome testing is accurate and reliable and a reliable means of confirming whether biological relationships exist between males.