Nuclear protein-coding genes
as population genetic markers
q
q  Diploid genes - occur in two copies in the nuclear genome.
q
q  Double-peaks are read as heterozygous (i.e., sites at which the two copies have different nucleotide bases).
q
q  3 metabolic genes to be used: 
   
     1. Citrate synthase (CS) - metabolic
     enzyme of the citric acid cycle
     2. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) – molecular
     chaperones which stabilize existing proteins against damage
     3. AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) – cellular energy homeostasis
Now moving on to the population genetics partÉ. In this study, nuclear protein coding genes have been used as population genetic markers. As a brief introduction, the nuclear genes are diploid, which means they occur in 2 copies in the nuclear genome. Here is an example of a chromatogram, Double peaks are read as heterozygotes, while single peaks are homozygotes. Heterozyg sites are the sites at which the 2 copies have different nucleotide bases, which appear superimposed in chromatograms
In this study, 3 metabolic genes have been used for analysis: CS, hsp70 and AMPK.