Analyzing Your Raw DNA Data At Home

Ben Casey [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Step 1) Download your raw autosomal DNA file and save it to a safe and secure location

To analyze your DNA data, start by downloading your raw autosomal DNA and save it to a safe location. Here are instructions to download your raw DNA file from: 23andMe, Ancestry DNA, Family Tree DNA, Dante Labs, We Gene, My Heritage, Genes For Good, Vitagene, Genera, and Living DNA.

Step 2) Analyze your raw DNA file

>Not all DNA tests target the same markers (see comparison), but most direct to consumer DNA data target several hundred thousand DNA markers, so each DNA file contains a lot of information to lean more about yourself. While carrying certain genetic markers can increase your risks of addiction and other diseases, the knowledge of this information will allow you to plan to mitigate these risks from your life .

Use tools like Promethease

Promethease is a literature retrieval system that builds a personal DNA report based on connecting a file of DNA genotypes to the scientific findings cited in SNPedia .

Or manually search your raw DNA data in a text editor using the 'find' function

Open the raw DNA file in a text editor and you will notice the unique SNP ID (rs# or i#), chromosome, position, and genotype. The formats differ slightly between each DNA testing company

To evaluate your risk of alcohol dependence, the 23andMe blog recommends you look at these SNPs:

rs1799971 the homozygous A alleles (A:A) are associated with a 2x greater risk of severe alcoholism
rs1799732 the homozygous Insertions (I:I) are associated with a 1.85x greater risk of severe alcoholism

To evaluate your taste preference for cilantro, look-up this SNP:

rs72921001 people with the C allele (C:C) think cilantro tastes like soap

To evaluate your risk of Marijuana addiction, look at these SNPs:

rs1057910 the A allele results in faster metabolism of THC, while the C allele results in slower metabolism of THC tending to take longer to process THC with more in the bloodstream and also tends to report more drowsiness or a more intense effect from the same amount of THC
rs324420 the C allele is associated with lower levels of anandamide (more FAAH activity), more dopamine activation when exposed to the smell of cannabis and worse sleep with cannabis use
rs2023239 the G allele is associated with more cravings and withdrawal, this correlation is very strong when combined with a FAAH CC variant, the G allele carriers may have worse working memory than AA when using cannabis
rs2494732 the C allele is associated with a more psychedelic effect

Step 3) Compare your genotype with research findings

>There are a wealth of resources describing information for each SNP including dbSNP and SNPedia

dbSNP

> dbSNP contains human single nucleotide variations, microsatellites, and small-scale insertions and deletions along with publication, population frequency, molecular consequence, and genomic and RefSeq mapping information for both common variations and clinical mutations.

SNPpedia

> SNPedia is a wiki investigating human genetics. They share information about the effects of variations in DNA, citing peer-reviewed scientific publications. It is used by Promethease to create a personal report linking your DNA variations to the information published about them.

>**If you are concerned about anything you see in your DNA results, please speak to your doctor, or a genetics councillor

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