Haplotype facts for kids

A haplotype is a special term used in genetics. Think of it as a unique "package" of DNA information that you inherit from just one of your parents. It's a short way of saying "haploid genotype."

What is a Haplotype?

Imagine your chromosomes are like long books filled with instructions for your body. Inside these books are many "chapters" called genes. A haplotype is a group of these genes that are very close together on a chromosome. Because they are so close, they are almost always passed down together from a parent to their child.

Each gene has different versions called alleles. A haplotype is a specific combination of these alleles found together in that tightly linked group. It's like a specific set of words that always appear together in a sentence.

Haplotypes and DNA Differences

Sometimes, scientists use the word haplotype to describe a group of tiny differences in your DNA. These differences are called single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs (pronounced "snips"). SNPs are like single letter changes in the DNA code.

If a few SNPs are usually found together on a single chromatid (which is half of a duplicated chromosome), they form a haplotype. Finding just a few of these SNPs can tell scientists about all the other SNPs in that same region. This information is very helpful for studying how common diseases are linked to our genes.

Why Haplotypes are Important

Comparing the haplotypes of different people can show how closely related they are. It's like looking at family trees, but using DNA instead! This is often done in projects that study genetic genealogy. By looking at shared haplotypes, researchers can trace family lines and understand human migration patterns over long periods.

See also

In Spanish: Haplotipo para niños