MSY2: a slowly evolving minisatellite on the human Y chromosome which provides a useful polymorphic marker in Chinese populations

We present the second human Y-specific minisatellite, MSY2 ( DYS440 ). It consists of three or four copies of a 99–110 bp repeat unit and is located about 1 kb upstream of the DBY gene. The most common allele contains four units, but a three-unit allele has arisen on at least four occasions; in chimpanzees and orangutans, MSY2 contains only two units. It is therefore evolving slowly and provides a particularly useful polymorphic marker for Chinese populations.