Dear Relative Genetics Customer
On August 1st, 2007, we announced calibration changes to five different Y chromosome markers. These changes were made in an effort to be strictly compliant to the most recent nomenclature guidelines as set forth by the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG): L. Gusmao et al. Forensic Science International 157 (2006) 187-197. As part of our effort to comply with these recommendations, we feel it important to notify you of a variance that has just recently been identified at locus DYS441. The ISFG guidelines have suggested that this locus be called using the TTCC repeat rather than the CCTT repeat as described in the original article published by Iida et al. in the International Journal of Legal Med. (2001) 115:54-56. When using the newly recommended repeat motif it becomes necessary for us to increase all DYS441 results by a value of one (1). Changes to this locus are effective as of August 23, 2007.
Sorenson Genomics adopts industry standards in reporting nomenclature as specified by organizations, such as the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Society of Forensic Genetics (ISFG). While your DNA remains constant, adopting the most current naming conventions often results in changes to your haplotype data, as is the case with this marker. You may be aware that there are some discrepancies within the genetic genealogy community in the names and methods used to identify loci and allele values. This is to be expected in an emerging field with ever-advancing scientific methods and discoveries. As the industry identifies and adopts new markers, the standards bodies periodically respond by making recommendations for a standardized naming convention for each marker. As a result, it becomes necessary for us to adjust our reporting nomenclature to meet these conventions. ...