Population genetics and forensic utility of 23 autosomal PowerPlex Fusion 6C STR loci in the Kuwaiti population

Mahdi Haidar,Penelope R Haddrill,Hussain Alsaleh,Fatimah A Abbas

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-81425-y

Mahdi Haidar, Penelope R Haddrill + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81425-y

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Journal: Scientific Reports	Publication Date: Jan 21, 2021
Citations: 6	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Strathclyde

Abstract

This study evaluates the forensic utility of 23 autosomal short tandem repeat markers in 400 samples from the Kuwaiti population, of which four markers (D10S1248, D22S1045, D2S441 and SE33) are reported for the first time for Kuwait. All the markers were shown to exhibit no deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, nor any linkage disequilibrium between and within loci, indicating that these loci are inherited independently, and their allele frequencies can be used to estimate match probabilities in the Kuwaiti population. The low combined match probability of 7.37 × 10–30 and the high paternity indices generated by these loci demonstrate the usefulness of the PowerPlex Fusion 6C kit for human identification in this population, as well as to strengthen the power of paternity testing. Off-ladder alleles were seen at several loci, and these were identified by examining their underlying nucleotide sequences. Principal component analysis (PCA) and STRUCTURE showed no genetic structure within the Kuwaiti population. However, PCA revealed a correlation between geographic and genetic distance. Finally, phylogenetic trees demonstrated a close relationship between Kuwaitis and Middle Easterners at a global level, and a recent common ancestry for Kuwait with its northern neighbours of Iraq and Iran, at a regional level.

Highlights

IntroductionIn 2008, Alenizi and colleagues reported the allele frequencies of 15 short tandem repeat (STR) loci included in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA)[1]
The State of Kuwait is located on the Arabian Gulf in the northwest of the Asian continent and in the heart of the Middle East
The calculated combined match probability (CMP) was 7.37 × 10–30, meaning that the probability of observing two identical profiles for the 23 autosomal loci in the Kuwaiti population was 1 in 1.36 × 1029 The typical paternity index (TPI) ranged between 1.439 (TPOX) and 8.333 (SE33), and the combined power of exclusion (PE) was > 99.9999%. These high values indicate the usefulness of the PowerPlex Fusion 6C kit for both human identification and paternity testing in the Kuwaiti population

Summary

Introduction

In 2008, Alenizi and colleagues reported the allele frequencies of 15 STR loci included in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA)[1] Based on these 15 STRs, the F ST distances between Kuwaiti nationals and foreign nationals from seven other populations residing in Kuwait were found to be consistent with their geographical d istances[2]. Another recent study investigated the forensic utility of 25 autosomal STRs included in two separate kits: the PowerPlex CS7 system and the PowerPlex 21 system (Promega Corporation, WI, USA)[3]. We aim to evaluate the forensic utility of these autosomal STRs in this underrepresented region, and to investigate the utility of these markers in population genetic differentiation by examining the genetic distance between the Kuwaiti population and other global populations for which data are available

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