Whether you call it coriander or cilantro, there\'s no denying it, this herb spl

Question

Whether you call it coriander or cilantro, there's no denying it, this herb splits people into two camps -love or hate. But why does such a humble herb create such havoc on your dinner plate? Enter genetics as a likely culprit. A few years ago the largest genetic testing company 23andMe surveyed 50,000 of their customers asking whether they liked the taste of coriander or found it to be soapy. The results when comparing the DNA of the coriander haters to that of coriander lovers found "a SNP (or genetic variation) called rs72921001 to be associated with the trait in a subset of about 25,000 people with European ancestry. One of the eight genes near the SNP identified codes for a receptor called OR6A2, which is known to detect aldehydes such as those found in cilantro. So - if you have those pesky OR6A2 receptors you're likely to taste soap and thus not enjoy this leafy herb. From the information presented, how is the SNP related to coriander preference. Discuss the advantages and limitations of using SNPs to identify genetic differences underlying complex phenotypes

Explanation / Answer

From the above information provided, the SNP related to coriander preference "rs72921001" codes for receptor OR6A2 which detects aldehydes found in coriander. Because OR6A2 is a compelling candidate gene for the detection of the odours that give it its divisive flavour. Since the SNP codes the receptor OR6A2 it is responsible for the soapy taste. If OR6A2 is not present, it will not detect the aldehydes and the herb will not taste soapy.

The advantages of using SNPs are;

- PCR products can be very small

-In the genome they are more common.

-Sample processing can be completely automated

Limitations of using SNPs:

- Less alleles are present so each marker is less informative.

- Mixture interpretation is difficlut.

- Many genotype SNPs have to be produced to get same level of information about DNA sample.

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