POPTREE2: Software for Constructing Population Trees from Allele Frequency Data and Computing Other Population Statistics with Windows Interface

Currently, there is a demand for software to analyze polymorphism data such as microsatellite DNA and single nucleotide polymorphism with easily accessible interface in many fields of research. In this article, we would like to make an announcement of POPTREE2, a computer program package, that can perform evolutionary analyses of allele frequency data. The original version (POPTREE) was a command-line program that runs on the Command Prompt of Windows and Unix. In POPTREE2 genetic distances (measures of the extent of genetic differentiation between populations) for constructing phylogenetic trees, average heterozygosities (H) (a measure of genetic variation within populations) and GST ( a measure of genetic differentiation of subdivided populations) are computed through a simple and intuitive Windows interface. It will facilitate statistical analyses of polymorphism data for researchers in many different fields. POPTREE2 is available at http://www.med.kagawa-u.ac.jp/;genomelb/takezaki/poptree2/index.html.