Resources for Genetics Professionals — Genetic Disorders Associated with Founder Variants Common in the Faroe Islander Population

Wallace SE, Bean LJH.

Publication Details

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A founder variant is a pathogenic variant observed at high frequency in a specific population due to the presence of the variant in a single ancestor or small number of ancestors. The presence of a founder variant can affect the approach to molecular genetic testing. When one or more founder variants account for a large percentage of all pathogenic variants found in a population, testing for the founder variant(s) may be performed first.

The table below includes common founder variants – here defined as three or fewer variants that account for >50% of the pathogenic variants identified in a single gene in individuals of a specific ancestry – in individuals of Faroese ancestry. Note: Pathogenic variants that are common worldwide due to a DNA sequence hot spot are not considered founder variants and thus are not included. In addition, some variants included here have been exclusively reported in individuals of Faroese ancestry but have not been proven to be founder variants.

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Table.

Genetic Disorders Associated with Founder Variants Common in the Faroe Islander Population

References

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Revision History

  • 12 January 2023 (sw) Revision: Reference sequences updated
  • 19 December 2019 (sw) Initial posting