A SNPSTR is a compound genetic marker composed of one or more SNPs and one microsatellite (STR). SNPSTRs were first described by Mountain et al. (2002) who developed experimental protocols for autosomal SNPSTRs which contain a SNP and a microsatellite within 500 base pairs of one another. More recently a database that contains all SNPSTRs in five model genomes, including human, has been created.
Usage and Importance
There has been widespread and growing interest in genetic markers suitable for drawing population genetic inferences about past demographic events and to detect the effects of selection. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microsatellites (or short tandem repeats, STRs) have received great attention in the analysis of human population history, even though they have both disadvantages. It was thus suggested that the combination of these two markers could give rise to better conclusions