Expediency of Tetra- and Pentanucleotide Repeat Autosomal STR Markers for DNA Typing in Central Indian Population

Abstract

The STR typing has been regarded as the most reliable and robust genetic tool having a pivotal role in the criminal justice system. High mutation rates have led to widespread polymorphism in the STRs which increases the probability of divergence of a specific population. Therefore, two tetra- and two pentanucleotide repeat STR loci were evaluated for their informativeness and expediency in the central Indian population. Two hundred unrelated individuals of the central India were included in this study for DNA isolation followed by multiplex PCR and genotyping using four STR markers, i.e., D2S1338, D19S433, Penta E and Penta D. All STR markers followed the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in the studied population. Out of all, Penta E (15p15-39; AAAGA) was found to be the most polymorphic (25–120 bp), highest heterozygosity (92.0%), lowest matching probability (0.025), highest power of discrimination (0.975), polymorphic information content (PIC) (0.91), power of exclusion (0.936) and typical paternity index (6.25). The aptness of the Penta E STR marker in context to its forensic and paternity parameters strongly suggests its applicability in the central Indian population.