Tools which simulate the evolution of uni-parentally transmitted elements of the human genome

Several simulators have been recently developed in the field of evolutionary genetics which make it possible to test empirical data under hypotheses of genetic variation generated by evolutionary causes. In the perspectives opened in the post-genomic era, they need to meet the growing demand for flexible and computationally efficient algorithms capable of managing genome-wide population datasets. Backward and forward-in-time strategies are available when attempting to better understand the complexity of the evolutionary scenarios actually followed by real populations. However, both strategies have a number of pros and cons. Although non recombinant uni-parentally inherited (NRUP) haplotypes, as the variants of the mitochondrial genome and the majority of Y chromosome polymorphisms, have been an invaluable source of genetic information during the last two decades of molecular anthropological research, few dedicated programs have been designed to model their evolution. The present paper is a brief comparative and annotated overview of the simulation tools developed in the field of population genetics which can be applied to large NRUP data in order to test complex hypotheses concerning genetic variation from a human evolutionary perspective.