title: Molecular evidence for absence of Y-linkage of the Hairy Ears trait.
abstract: The human Hairy Ears phenotype has traditionally been regarded as the only Y-linked heritable trait. Here, we use Y-chromosomal DNA binary-marker haplotyping to show that a cohort of southern Indian Hairy-Eared males carries Y chromosomes from many haplogroups of the Y-phylogeny, which, under a hypothesis of Y linkage, would require multiple independent mutations within a single population. We further show that there is no significant difference between the Y-haplogroup spectrum in Hairy-Eared males and that in a geographically matched control sample of unaffected males. The trait cannot, therefore, be Y-linked in southern Indians, and by extension, is unlikely to be so in any population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Angamuthu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamalam
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jobling
mesh_terms: D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D004431:Ear, External / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006197:Hair / Q000002:abnormalities*; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers