Allele frequency distributions and other population genetic parameters for 13 STR loci in a UAE local population from Dubai

Abstract

DNA polymorphism is a cornerstone of human identification. In the past few years, the typing of short tandem repeat (STR) loci has developed into one of the most rapid, efficient and precise methods of human identification. STR loci are the genetic markers of choice for use in routine forensic casework and for the national strategies for creating criminal intelligence databases [1–3]. The STR loci consist of tandemly repeated sequences 3 to 7 bp in size, are highly polymorphic, are abundant in the human genome, and are amenable to PCR [4–7]. Many polymorphic STR loci have been described, but the tetranucleotide STR loci exhibit properties that make them desirable as forensic markers. The small-defined size range of each amplified locus and the ability to manipulate the size of the amplicon by moving the primers has allowed development of multiplex sets of STR loci. Thus, the amount of information obtained from a single PCR is increased substantially with a concomitant reduction in template consumption and labor. By incorporating fluorescent dyes into the amplicon, automated detection is possible [8] and provides a cost-effective method to generate population studies [9–12] and to type samples to be entered in to DNA databanks or used for forensic identification. Two multiplex kits AmpFlSTRR Profiler Plusk kit and AmpFlSTRR Cofilerk kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) allow amplification and typing of 13 STR