Primer in Genetics and Genomics, Article 3-Explaining Human Diversity: The Role of DNA

Genetic variation lays the foundation for diversity and enables humans to adapt to changing environments. The order of the nucleotides adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine on the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules of the nuclear chromosomes and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) plays an important role in normal cell division, tissue development, and reproduction but is susceptible to alteration from a large number of random, inherited, or environmental events. Variations can range from a change in a single nucleotide to duplication of entire chromosomes. Single nucleotide polymorphisms are the major source of human heterogeneity. Other variations that can alter phenotypes and adversely impact growth, development, and health include copy number variations, aneuploidies, and structural alterations such as deletions, translocations, inversions, duplications, insertions, or mutations in mtDNA. In addition, DNA rearrangements in somatic cells underlie the uncontrolled cell growth found in cancer. This article explores the mechanisms by which variations in DNA arise and the impact those changes can have on human health.