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From: "RICHARD KENYON" <>
Subject: Re: [DNA] What is wrong with my DNA? (deCODEme mtDNA)
Date: Mon, 5 Jan 2009 13:00:46 -0800
References: <C58794E0.103AA%bobhay@optusnet.com.au>
In-Reply-To: <C58794E0.103AA%bobhay@optusnet.com.au>


It is not unheard of for a person to have more than one type of DNA. A short discussion of human chimera appears in John M. Butler's book, Forensic DNA Typing, 2nd ed., publ. by Elsevier, 2005, on page 171 and the box on page 172. To quote: "Chimerism, which is the presence of two genetically distinct cell lines in an organism, can be acquired through blood stem cell transplantation, blood transfusion, or can be inherited (Yu et al, 2002). ....". The Yu (2002) article appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine, 346, 1545-1552, as listed by Butler. Butler also gives another 2002 reference, this one by H. Pearson, Human genetics: dual identities (see http://www.nature.com/nsu/nsu_pf/020429/020429-13.html<http://www.nature.com/nsu/nsu_pf/020429/020429-13.html>;). I was unable to find this article, although I have a subscription to Nature. The other reference given by Butler was to an audio clip from an NPR broadcast on their Morning-Edition program of August 11, 2003 which can be accessed through http://www.npr.org<http://www.npr.org/>;. This is interesting as it describes a case where a mother needed an organ transplant and her three sons were tested as possible organ donors. It turned out that the mother was a chimera.
Chimeras are well-known in other species--and in plants. It seems that different kinds of cells in a chimera can have different DNA. I would think that buccal samples would contain the same DNA as saliva samples.
I wonder if people with eyes of different colors aren't examples of chimeras.
----- Original Message -----
From: Bob Hay<mailto:>
To: <mailto:>
Sent: Sunday, January 04, 2009 3:43 PM
Subject: [DNA] What is wrong with my DNA? (deCODEme mtDNA)

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