Why Are Alleles for This SNP Different Elsewhere?

Why are my alleles for different elsewhere?

Think of your DNA like a twisted ladder, where each rung is made up of two matching pieces, one on each side. These sides can be thought of as a positive (+) and a negative (-) team. At certain points along this ladder, you’ll find unique spots called SNPs (pronounced "snips"). These SNPs are like genetic codes that can vary from person to person.

Here's the interesting part: a SNP can look different depending on which side of the DNA ladder you're viewing. For example, if you see an “A” on the positive (+) side, it pairs with a “T” on the negative (-) side. Similarly, “C” on the positive side matches with “G” on the negative side.

Some genetic resources display SNPs based on the negative (-) side, which can make the variants look different from what we show at SelfDecode. We display all SNPs based on the positive (+) side to keep things consistent and easy to understand.

Quick Example

If you see “AG” for a SNP in your SelfDecode results, you might come across “TC” in another report. Both versions mean the same thing—they’re just showing the variants from different sides of the DNA ladder. It’s all part of the way DNA is structured, and now you know the trick!

This way, you’ll be able to recognize your SNP variants, no matter how they’re presented.