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BritainsDNA

From ISOGG Wiki

BritainsDNA
Type Deep ancestry
Fate Ceased trading Jul 2017
Founded 2005 (as Ethnoancestry) April 2012 as BritainsDNA
Founder(s) Alistair Moffat and Dr. James Wilson
Headquarters Scotland
Area served Worldwide
Products Y-DNA SNPs, mtDNA, biogeographical ancestry
Website www.mydna.global


BritainsDNA and its associated companies MyDNA Global, ScotlandsDNA, IrelandsDNA, YorkshiresDNA and CymruDNAWales offered direct-to-consumer genetic tests which explored British, Irish, Scottish and Welsh ancestry. The companies were a new incarnation of the former testing company Ethnoancestry. ScotlandsDNA was founded in late 2011. BritainsDNA, IrelandsDNA and YorkshiresDNA followed in 2012.[1] CymruDNAWales was launched in September 2014. The parent company the Moffat Partnership was acquired by the Nottingham-based sequencing company SourceBioScience on 10 December 2015.[2] The company ceased trading on 3rd July 2017. Results will continue to be accessible via the MyDNA.Global website until 31 August 2018.[3]

The original BritainsDNA test available from November 2011 through to June 2013 was done on a custom-designed Illumina chip. It covered nearly 400 mitochondrial DNA markers and nearly 400 Y chromosome SNPs, all chosen to be non-redundant and informative in Europeans (although there was representation of non-European variation on the chip as well). The company did not publish a list of the SNPs that were included on the chip. A list of the R1b-L21 SNPs on the BritainsDNA chip can be found here.[4] The BritainsDNA test cost £170 for Y-DNA or mtDNA. There was a discount for males who ordered an mtDNA report at the same time.

The company also offered an additional standalone test for £25 for the red-haired gene. This test was only available as an add-on test for customers who have already ordered the deep ancestry test.[5]

BritainsDNA launched the Chromo 2 test on 14 June 2013. Chromo2 was available in three versions:

  • Chromo 2 Complete for Men £190 (€240; $264): Y-DNA, mtDNA and autosomal DNA with an ancestral narrative report for the Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups, a biogeographical analysis and tests for baldness, red hair and blue eyes
  • Chromo2 Complete for Women £160 (€203: $223): mtDNA and autosomal DNA with an ancestral narrative report for the mtDNA haplogroup, biogeographical analysis and tests for baldness, red hair and blue eyes
  • Chromo2 Raw YDNA £125 (€160; $199): Y-DNA raw data only with no ancestral narrative report[6]

The Chromo2 test used a custom-designed Illumina chip which covered 250,000 autosomal SNPs, 14,000 Y-chromosome SNPs and 3000 mtDNA SNPs. The autosomal DNA test was known as All My Ancestry. Customers were provided with a chromosome painting, a global connections plot and a population percentage model to infer which proportions of your genome come from seven different world regions.

BritainsDNA used its own proprietary S series names for many of the Y-SNPs and gave its own nicknames to the Y chromosome DNA and mitochondrial DNA haplogroups. See the list of BritainsDNA haplogroup nicknames for the alternative Y-SNP names and nicknames.

A book written by Alistair Moffat and James Wilson entitled The Scots: A Genetic Journey, which included findings from the company's tests, was published in 2012.[7] A second book The British: A Genetic Journey by Alistair Moffat was published in October 2013.

Ethnoancestry

Ethnoancestry was formed in 2004. It was registered in Scotland, and owned and run by Dr. James Wilson. The company offered Y-STR, Y-SNP and mitochondrial DNA products and was the first to commercially offer testing for the M222 SNP amongst others.

Chromo 2 reviews

BritainsDNA in the news

Blog posts

Academic papers

External links

See also

References and footnotes

  1. Dick Ahlstrom. Discover your genetic ancestors. The Irish Times, 3 May 2012.
  2. Kennett D. Acquisition of BritainsDNA by Source BioScience. Cruwys News blog, 23 March 2016.
  3. Lamb E. BritainsDNA - a thing of the past. Not Just Sheep and Rugby blog, 21 July 2017.
  4. Information provided to ISOGG in December 2011 by Britains DNA's Chief Scientist, James Wilson. Updated marker information provided by James Wilson in January 2013.
  5. Red Head. Britains DNA product listing. Accessed 28 January 2013.
  6. Chromo2 Complete BritainsDNA website, accessed 8 May 2016.
  7. The Scots: A Genetic Journey, Birlinn website. Accessed 31 January 2013.