Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 21, 2018
KinSNP software for homozygosity mapping of disease genes using SNP microarrays
El-Ad David Amir1, Ofer Bartal, Efrat Morad
1Department of Computer Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel.
Abstract:
Consanguineous families affected with a recessive genetic disease caused by homozygotisation of a mutation offer a unique advantage for positional cloning of rare diseases. Homozygosity mapping of patient genotypes is a powerful technique for the identification of the genomic locus harbouring the causing mutation. This strategy relies on the observation that in these patients a large region spanning the disease locus is also homozygous with high probability. The high marker density in single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays is extremely advantageous for homozygosity mapping. We present KinSNP, a user-friendly software tool for homozygosity mapping using SNP arrays. The software searches for stretches of SNPs which are homozygous to the same allele in all ascertained sick individuals. User-specified parameters control the number of allowed genotyping 'errors' within homozygous blocks. Candidate disease regions are then reported in a detailed, coloured Excel file, along with genotypes of family members and healthy controls. An interactive genome browser has been included which shows homozygous blocks, individual genotypes, genes and further annotations along the chromosomes, with zooming and scrolling capabilities. The software has been used to identify the location of a mutated gene causing insensitivity to pain in a large Bedouin family. KinSNP is freely available from.
Related Concept Videos
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Comparing Copy Number Variations and SNPs
Copy number variations or CNVs are the structural variations that cover more than 1kb of DNA sequence. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), on the other hand, is a single nucleotide change or a point mutation that is found in more than 1%...
Human Genetics
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
DNA Microarrays
Pharmacogenomics: Identification of New Drug Targets
