Genetic data provided by 21 autosomal STR loci from Chinese Tujia ethnic group

The aim of this study was to investigate allelic frequency distribution and forensic genetic parameters of autosomal short tandem repeats (STR) loci of the population samples from 107 Tujia individuals from Chinese Hubei Province. Twenty-one autosomal STR genetic markers (D9S1122, D6S474, D6S1017, D5S2500, D4S2408, D3S4529, D2S441, D2S1776, D22S1045, D20S482, D1S1677, D1S1627, D1GATA113, D19S433, D18S853, D17S1301, D11S4463, D12ATA63, D10S1248, D10S1435 and D14S1434) were simultaneously amplified in a new multiplex polymerase chain reaction system. 155 alleles for all the STR loci from the Tujia population were observed and the corresponding allelic frequencies ranged from 0.005 to 0.589. Expected heterozygosity, polymorphic information content, power of discrimination and power of exclusion of the 21 STR loci in the Tujia population were from 0.579 to 0.824, from 0.525 to 0.802, from 0.773 to 0.945 and from 0.257 to 0.641, respectively. Our results indicate that the autosomal STRs multiplex system provides highly informative STR data and could be useful in forensic individual identification and parentage testing in this region.     

Autosomal STR loci for improving the kinship discrimination power for missing children and forensic application

Short tandem repeats (STRs) loci are very useful genomic markers with high power of individual discrimination, thus, they have been used for population genetics, forensic application and complex kinship analyses. In this study, we examined allele frequencies and forensic parameters for a total of 23 STR loci, that is, 17 established STRs with 13 CODIS core STR loci and D2S1338, D19S433, Penta E, and Penta D loci, and 6 new STRs (D10S1248, D22S1045, D2S441, D1S1656, D12S391, and SE33) in a sample of 545 unrelated individuals in South Korea. All loci were highly polymorphic and no significant departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was observed. The addition of 6 new loci to the 17 established STRs increased their power of discrimination by almost eight orders of magnitude (2.52 × 10^?20–4.44 × 10^?28) and improved the specificity of missing children database searches. Furthermore, we found several microvariant alleles at D2S441 and SE33 loci that have not been reported in the Korean population. We believe that this analysis will be useful for forensic application, deficiency paternity testing and expanding previously established Korean DNA databases.     

西藏藏族人群15个短串联重复序列基因座的遗传多态性

利用多重PCR五色荧光(6FAM、VIC、NED、PET、LIZ)自动化检测技术检测西藏自治区藏族人群D8S1179、D21S11、D7S820、CSF1PO、D3S1358、TH01、D13S317、D16S539、D2S1338、D19S433、VWA、TPOX、D18S51、D5S818及FGA共15个STR基因座遗传多态性, 获得15个STR基因座的群体遗传学数据。结果显示：15个STR基因座的基因型分布符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡。15个STR基因座的个体鉴别力 (Discrimination power, DP)在0.7555~0.9602之间, 杂合度 (Heterozygosity, H)在0.5651~0.8530之间, 多态性信息含量 (Polymorphism information content, PIC)在0.5528~0.8456之间, 非父排除率(Probability of paternity exclusion, EPP)在0.3811~0.8549之间, 累积个体鉴别力为0.999999999, 累积非父排除率为0.999999998。15个短串联重复序列基因座适合作为西藏藏族人群的遗传标记, 用于人类学、疾病连锁分析、法医学亲子鉴定和个体识别等领域的研究。     

西藏那曲地区藏族人群15个短串联重复序列位点多态性的研究

利用基因扫描技术调查西藏自治区那曲地区藏族人群D8S1179、D21S11、D7S820、CSF1PO、D3S1358、TH01、D13S317、D16S539、D2S1338、D19S433、VWA、TPOX、D18S51、D5S818及FGA共15个短串联重复序列(STR)基因座多态性分布,获得15个基因座的群体遗传学数据。结果显示:15个STR位点在那曲地区藏族人群中具有遗传多态性,基因型分布符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡,DP在0.758 8—0.960 4之间,H在0.476 2—0.862 0之间,PIC在0.446 4—0.861 5之间,EPP在0.385 0—0.856 0之间,累积个体鉴别力为0.999 999 999,累积非父排除率为0.999 999 998。15个STR位点适合作为那曲地区藏族人群的遗传标记用于人类学、疾病连锁分析、法医学亲子鉴定和个体识别等领域的研究。     

Genetic polymorphisms of 12 X-STR for forensic purposes in Shanghai Han population from China

X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (X-STR) loci are used for forensic practice in recent years in some complex kinship cases. The commercially available kit of Investigator Argus X-12 (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) makes it possible to examine the markers of DXS10148–DXS10135–DXS8378, DXS7132–DXS10079–DXS10074, DXS10103–HPRTB–DXS10101 and DXS10146–DXS10134–DXS7423, which belong to four linkage groups of X-chromosome. In this study, a total of 309 unrelated individuals (200 males and 109 females) from Shanghai Han population were successfully analyzed with this kit. Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium tests demonstrated no significant deviation from expected values (P > 0.05) for all of the 12 X-STR loci in the Shanghai Han population. Linkage disequilibrium tests were performed for all pairs of loci by the Arlequin v3.1 software and only DXS10103–DXS10101 remained significant after adjustment for multiple testing (P < 0.05/66). The combined power of discrimination in males (CDP_M) was 0.999999996 while in females (CDP_F) was 0.999999999999995, and the combined mean exclusion chance in duo cases (CMEC_D) was 0.999998 while in trio cases (CMEC_T) was 0.999999986. The results suggest that the twelve X-STR loci may provide high polymorphic information for paternity testing and forensic identification in Chinese Han population from Shanghai.     

拉萨市藏族人群15个STR基因座多态性的研究

利用多重PCR和五色荧光(6FAM、VIC、NED、PET、LIZ)自动化检测技术调查西藏自治区拉萨市藏族人群D8S1179、D21S11、D7S820、CSF1PO、D3S1358、TH01、D13S317、D16S539、D2S1338、D19S433、VWA、TPOX、D18S51、D5S818、FGA共１5个STR基因座多态性分布, 获得了15个STR基因座的遗传学数据。结果显示: 15个STR基因座的基因型分布符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡。 15个STR基因座的个体鉴别力(DP)在0.7515~0.9599之间, 杂合度(H)在0.5576~0.8538之间, 多态信息含量(PIC)在0.5455~0.8458之间, 非父排除率(EPP)在0.3755~0.8520之间, 累积个体鉴别力为0.99999999, 累积非父排除率为0.999999997。15个STR基因座适合作为藏族人群的遗传标志用于人类学、遗传疾病连锁分析、法医学亲子鉴定和个体识别等研究领域。     

Genetic analysis of the 10 ChrX STRs loci in Chinese Han nationality from Guangdong province

This study is to explore the polymorphic nature of X-Chromosome short tandem repeats (ChrX STRs) loci, and to determine its application in kinship tests for forensic cases. A new fluorescent multiplex PCR that simultaneously amplifies the 10 ChX STRs loci in the same PCR reaction had been set up. DXS7132, DXS981, DXS6801, DXS6809, DXS6789, DXS7424, DXS101, DXS7133, GATA165B12 and GATA31E08 were analyzed in a sample of 511 (399 males and 112 females) unrelated individuals from Guangdong Han nationality in China. One hundred and one alleles were observed in all the loci. Here, we investigated the allele frequencies and mutation rates of the ten loci, and then made the comparison of allele frequencies distribution among different populations. The results show the ten loci in the multiplex systems may provide high polymorphism information for kinship testing and relationship investigations, and it is necessary to gain allele frequency and mutation rate of different population for forensic application.     

Polymorphism profile of nine short tandem repeat Loci in the Han chinese

Nine short tandem repeat (STR) markers (D3S1358, VWA, FGA, THO1, TPOX, CSFIPO, D5S818, D13S317, and D7S820) and a sex-identification marker (Amel-ogenin locus) were amplified with multiplex PCR and were genotyped with a four-color fluorescence method in samples from 174 unrelated Han individuals in North China. The allele frequencies, genotype frequencies, heterozygosity, probability of discrimination powers, probability of paternity exclusion and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations were determined. The results demonstrated that the genotypes at all these STR loci in Han population conform to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations. The combined discrimination power (DP) was 1.05×10-10 within nine STR loci analyzed and the probability of paternity exclusion (EPP) was 0.9998. The results indicate that these nine STR loci and the Amelo-genin locus are useful markers for human identification, paternity and maternity testing and sex determination in forensic sciences.     

Paternity testing and forensic DNA typing by multiplex STR analysis using ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer

Short tandem repeats (STRs) are widespread throughout the human genome and are a rich source of highly polymorphic markers which can be detected by PCR. To gain a better appreciation for how the polymorphism at a particular locus impacts the individual identity, the present study was undertaken to explore the use of 15 STR loci in forensic investigation and paternity testing. Multiplex STR typing was used to study the 15 STR loci (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA) in addition to a gender identification marker, amelogenin, by capillary electrophoresis on 310 Genetic Analyzer. Samples from 85 trio and duo cases of disputed paternity were investigated. The data were analyzed to give information on paternity index, probability of paternity, frequency of number of exclusions and rate of mismatch at each STR locus. The method was also successfully applied to forensic personal identification in theft and murder cases. The results demonstrated that the STR typing is a reliable and robust tool for analyzing the forensic practice as well as for paternity testing. The advantages of using multiplex STR analysis over other conventional methods are discussed.     

Design of a multiplex PCR for genotyping 16 short tandem repeats in degraded DNA samples

The molecular genotyping of individuals and reconstruction of kinship through short and high polymorphic DNA markers, so-called short tandem repeats (STR), has become an important and efficient method in anthropology and forensic science. The here introduced experimental design describes a multiplex PCR capable of simultaneously amplifying 16 STRs and the sex determinant locus amelogenin in a short fragment lengths range from 84 bp to 275 bp. Thus, the design depends predominantly on the routines for DNA typing of historical samples with highly degraded ancient DNA. It is shown, that the newly designed multiplex PCR is suitable for successful typing of both forensic and historical material.     

湖南省汉族人群15个STR基因座多态性分析

应用美国AmpFISTR Indentifiler荧光标记复合扩增试剂盒,结合PE9700型PCR仪和美国ABI公司310型遗传分析仪,对湖南汉族人群D8S1179、D21S11、D7S820、CSF1PO、D3S1358、TH01、D13S317、D16S539、D2S1338、D19S433、vWA、TPOX、D18S51、D5S818和FGA共15个STR基因座进行多态性调查分析．结果显示15个STR基因座的基因型分布符合Hardy．Weinberg平衡。其杂合度（H）介于0．593～0．900,多态信息含量（PIC）介于O．54～0．85,个体识别力（DP）介于0．780～0．963,非父排除率（PE）介于0．282～0．785,累计个体识别力为（1～1．6&#215;10^-17）〉0．99999999。累计非父排除率为0．9999995．证明15个STR基因座在湖南省汉族人群中具有较高的多态性。可应用于该地区群体学研究、法医学个体识别和亲权鉴定等．     

Polymorphic distribution and forensic effectiveness study of eight miniSTR in Chinese Uyghur ethnic group

We obtained the allelic frequencies and forensic efficiency data for eight mini short tandem repeat loci including Penta E, D12S391, D6S1043, D2S1338, D19S433, CSF1PO, Penta D and D19S253 loci from a sample of 128 unrelated Uyghur individuals from China. The amplification products of the eight STR loci are <240 bp in size. A total of 94 alleles were observed and the corresponding allelic frequencies ranged from 0.0039 to 0.3438 in the present study. Observed genotype distributions for each locus do not show deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium expectations. The combined power of discrimination, combined power of exclusion and combined matching probability of the eight STR loci equaled to 0.999999999963373, 0.9997770 and 3.6627 × 10^?11, respectively. Because of the small fragment length of PCR products and the high degree of polymorphisms, the eight STR loci are highly beneficial for the forensic analysis of degraded DNA samples which are commonly observed in forensic cases. The STR data of the Uyghur group were compared with the previously published population STR data of other groups from different ethnic or areas, and significant differences were observed among these groups at some loci.     

Evaluation of reliability on STR typing at leukemic patients used for forensic purposes

Over the past decades, main advances in the field of molecular biology, coupled with benefits in genomic technologies, have led to detailed molecular investigations in the genetic diversity generated by researchers. Short tandem repeat (STR) loci are polymorphic loci found throughout all eukaryotic genome. DNA profiling identification, parental testing and kinship analysis by analysis of STR loci have been widely used in forensic sciences since 1993. Malignant tissues may sometimes be the source of biological material for forensic analysis, including identification of individuals or paternity testing. There are a number of studies on microsatellite instability in different types of tumors by comparing the STR profiles of malignant and healthy tissues on the same individuals. Defects in DNA repair pathways (non-repair or mis-repair) and metabolism lead to an accumulation of microsatellite alterations in genomic DNA of various cancer types that result genomic instabilities on forensic analyses. Common forms of genomic instability are loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability (MSI). In this study, the applicability of autosomal STR markers, which are routinely used in forensic analysis, were investigated in order to detect genotypes in blood samples collected from leukemic patients to estimate the reliability of the results when malignant tissues are used as a source of forensic individual identification. Specimens were collected from 90 acute and 10 chronic leukemia volunteers with oral swabs as well as their paired peripheral blood samples from the Oncology Centre of the Department of Hematology at Istanbul University, during the years 2010–2011. Specimens were tested and compared with 16 somatic STR loci (CSFIPO, THO1, TPOX, vWA, D2S1338, D3S1358, D5S818, D7S820, D8S1179, D13S317, D16S539, D18S51, D19S433, D21S11 and FGA) widely used in forensic identification and kinship. Only two STR instabilities were encountered among 100 specimens. An MSI in the FGA loci and a LOH in the D2S1338 loci were determined in two individuals separately. Our results demonstrate that the use of the biological samples from leukemia patients in forensic identification and kinship testing is questionable, especially if known microsatellite instability is available. Genetic instabilities may alter the STR polymorphism, leading to potential errors on forensic identification of individuals. Therefore, typing of autosomal STRs from leukemia patients should be performed with both healthy and malignant tissue samples of individual as references.     

Regeneration of multiple shoots from transgenic potato events facilitates the recovery of phenotypically normal lines: assessing a cry9Aa2 gene conferring insect resistance

Background

Tools for authenticating cell lines are critical for quality control in cell-based biological experiments. Currently there are methods to authenticate human cell lines using short tandem repeat (STR) markers based on the technology and procedures successfully used in the forensic community for human identification, but there are no STR based methods for authenticating nonhuman cell lines to date. There is significant homology between the human and vervet monkey genome and we utilized these similarities to design the first multiplex assay based on human STR markers for vervet cell line identification.

Results

The following STR markers were incorporated into the vervet multiplex PCR assay: D17S1304, D5S1467, D19S245, D1S518, D8S1106, D4S2408, D6S1017, and DYS389. The eight markers were successful in uniquely identifying sixty-two vervet monkey DNA samples and confirmed that Vero76 cells and COS-7 cells were derived from Vero and CV-1 cells, respectively. The multiplex assay shows specificity for vervet DNA within the determined allele range for vervet monkeys; however, the primers will also amplify human DNA for each marker resulting in amplicons outside the vervet allele range in several of the loci. The STR markers showed genetic stability in over sixty-nine passages of Vero cells, suggesting low mutation rates in the targeted STR sequences in the Vero cell line.

Conclusions

A functional vervet multiplex assay consisting of eight human STR markers with heterozygosity values ranging from 0.53-0.79 was successful in uniquely identifying sixty-two vervet monkey samples. The probability of a random match using these eight markers between any two vervet samples is approximately 1 in 1.9 million. While authenticating a vervet cell line, the multiplex assay may also be a useful indicator for human cell line contamination since the assay is based on human STR markers.     

Performance evaluation of an in-house panel containing 59 autosomal InDels for forensic identification in Chinese Hui and Mongolian groups

In recent years, a novel multiplex system containing two mini-short tandem repeats, 59 autosomal InDels, two Y-chromosomal InDels, and the Amelogenin gene with all amplicons less than 200 bp has been constructed and validated by ourselves for forensic degration sample, and its forensic application efficiency has been studied in Chinese some populations. Herein, the population genetic polymorphisms of these loci were investigated in Chinese Hui (n = 249) and Mongolian (n = 222) ethnic groups using direct multiplex amplification and capillary electrophoresis platform. The forensic identification efficiencies of this self-developed system were further evaluated in these two groups. And the results showed that the values of the combined power of discrimination were 0.9999999999999999999999999999006 (Hui) and 0.999999999999999999999999999738 (Mongolian), respectively. Moreover, the combined power of exclusion values were 0.99999817 (Hui) and 0.99999779 (Mongolian). The 59 autosomal InDels used in this study exhibited high forensic identification efficiencies in 10 East Asian populations, which was also expected to be a new powerful tool for identifying degraded biological materials in East Asian populations.     

Mutation analysis of 28 autosomal short tandem repeats in the Chinese Han population

Short tandem repeats (STRs) have been extensively used in forensic genetics. However, according to previous studies, the mutation rates of STRs are relatively high and are affected by many factors. Therefore, it is important to analyze STR mutations and determine the influence of underlying factors on STR mutation rates. Mutation rates of 28 autosomal STRs were determined from 8708 paternity testing cases in the Chinese Han population, and the relationships between STR mutation rates and population, sex, age, allele length and heterozygosity were investigated. A total of 279 mutations were observed at 27 loci in a total of 233,530 meiosis cases, including 273 (97.8%) one-step, 5 (1.8%) two-step and 1 (0.4%) three-step mutations. The overall average mutation rate was 1.19?×?10^–3 (95% CI 1.06?×?10^–3???1.34?×?10^–3) ranging from 0 (TPOX) to 2.79?×?10^–3 (D13S325). Mutation rate comparisons revealed statistically significant differences at several STRs among populations. Paternal mutations occurred more frequently than maternal mutations, at a ratio of 6.04:1, and the mutation rate tended to increase with paternal age. Moreover, our study revealed a bias towards contraction mutations for long alleles and expansion mutations for short alleles. No obvious bias was observed in the overall mutation direction. In addition, STR loci with higher expected heterozygosity (H_exp) tended to have higher mutation rates. This work revealed the relationships between STR mutation rates and several influencing factors, providing useful data and information for further research on STR mutations in forensic genetics.

     

Establishment of a 10-Plex Quantitative Fluorescent-PCR Assay for Rapid Diagnosis of Sex Chromosome Aneuploidies

Sex chromosome aneuploidies occur commonly in the general population, with an incidence of 1 in 400 newborns. However, no tests specifically targeting sex chromosomes have been carried out in prenatal diagnosis or newborn screening, resulting in late recognition of these diseases. In this study, a rapid diagnostic method for sex chromosome aneuploidies was established using Quantitative Fluorescent-PCR (QF-PCR). Ten markers were included in one multiplex QF-PCR assay, including two sex determination genes (AMXY and SRY), five X-linked short tandem repeats (STRs; DXS1053, DXS981, DXS6809, DXS1187, and DXS8377), one X/Y-common STR (X22), and two autosomal STRs (D13S305 and D21S11). Retrospective tests of 70 cases with known cytogenetic results indicated that the 10-plex QF-PCR assay could well determine sex chromosome copy numbers by both allelic peak numbers and a sex chromosome dosage calculation with the autosomal STRs as internal controls. Prospective comparison with cytogenetic karyotyping on 534 cases confirmed that the 10-plex QF-PCR assay could be well employed for sex chromosome aneuploidy diagnosis in at least the Chinese Han population. This is the first QF-PCR test for the diagnosis of sex chromosome aneuploidies in the Chinese population. This test is superior to previous designs by including up to 8 sex-linked markers covering different parts of sex chromosomes as well as employing internal controls for copy number dosage calculation in a single PCR reaction. Due to simple technique and data analysis, as well as easy implementation within routine clinical services, this method is of great clinical application value and could be widely applied.     

Variation of 15 autosomal microsatellite DNA loci in the Russian population

The allele frequencies of 15 autosomal STR loci (D3S1358, vWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D16S539, D2S1338, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, and D19S433) used in forensic medicine were determined for the Russian population of European Russia (N = 176). The power of discrimination (PD) and power of exclusion (PE) of the system of the 15 STR loci were 0.999 999 999 999 999 986 and 0.999 999 331 310 171 000, respectively. The allele and genotype frequency distributions in the Russian population corresponded to the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The D2S1338, D18S51, D21S11, and FGA loci were identified as the most informative markers for the Russian population and proposed as a reference for forensic studies in the Russian Federation.     

用多重PCR检测上海地区汉族人群9个STR基因座的多态性

利用多重PCR和四色荧光（5－FAM,JOE,NED和ROX）自动化检测技术调查上海地区汉族人群D3S1358、vWA、FGA、D8S1179、D21S11、D18S51、D5S818、D13S317、D7S820等9个STR基因座多态性分布并计算 该9个基因座的的基因频率（Pi)、个体鉴别力（DP）、无偏倚期望杂合性（H）、多态性信息含量（PIC）和非父排除概率（PE）。结果显示：9个STR基因座的基因型分布符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡,9个STR基因座中FGA基因座的DP值最高为0.9584,D8S1179的H值最高为0.9403,D18S51的PIC值最高为0.8560,D18S51的PE值最高为0.7391,9个STR基因座累积个体鉴别力（CDP)为0.9999996,累积非父排除能力（CPE）为0.99991。9个STR基因座适合作为中国人群的遗传标志,用于人类学、遗传疾病基因连锁分析、法医学亲子鉴定和个体识别等研究领域。     

DNA typing and genetic mapping with trimeric and tetrameric tandem repeats.

Tandemly reiterated sequences represent a rich source of highly polymorphic markers for genetic linkage, mapping, and personal identification. Human trimeric and tetrameric short tandem repeats (STRs) were studied for informativeness, frequency, distribution, and suitability for DNA typing and genetic mapping. The STRs were highly polymorphic and inherited stably. A STR-based multiplex PCR for personal identification is described. It features fluorescent detection of amplified products on sequencing gels, specific allele identification, simultaneous detection of independent loci, and internal size standards. Variation in allele frequencies were explored for four U.S. populations. The three STR loci (chromosomes 4, 11, and X) used in the fluorescent multiplex PCR have a combined average individualization potential of 1/500 individuals. STR loci appear common, being found every 300-500 kb on the X chromosome. The combined frequency of polymorphic trimeric and tetrameric STRs could be as high as 1 locus/20 kb. The markers should be useful for genetic mapping, as they are sequence based, and can be multiplexed with the PCR. A method enabling rapid localization of STRs and determination of their flanking DNA sequences was developed, thus simplifying the identification of polymorphic STR loci. The ease by which STRs may be identified, as well as their genetic and physical mapping utility, give them the properties of useful sequence tagged sites (STSs) for the human genome initiative.