Revealing genetic structure in the paternal lineages and forensic profiling of Bhotra tribe by the analysis of Y-STR multiplex platform

Abstract

India has a diverse reservoir of genetic components, ethnicity and linguistic affiliations. Y-STR (Short Tandem Repeat) markers serve as a potential tool in the fields of anthropological genetics, ancestry exploration, as well as in forensic investigations. The present study was conducted to explore the molecular diversity in respect to male lineage, genomic heritage and forensic profiling of Bhotra tribe of Odisha, India, by using 23 Y-STR molecular markers. Blood samples were collected randomly from 133 unrelated healthy adult male individuals of Bhotra population following the ethical standards.Out of 133 individuals, 109 unique haplotypes were observed. Discrimination Capacity (DC) was observed at 0.8195; mean Gene Diversity (GD) was observed to be 0.615 along with the Standard Error (SE) of 0.027. The locus DYS385a/b showed the highest genetic diversity (0.887). To assess the genetic affinity of the Bhotra population with other Indian population that were reported to Y-STR Haplotype Reference Database (YHRD) before, Multidimensional Scaling plot (MDS), Neighbor Joining (NJ) tree, and Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) were performed. The study population exhibited a high degree of genetic diversity and indicated genetic affinity with the Majhi and Dorla tribes of Chhattisgarh. Study population characterized by 12 different haplogroups and H1a1a (33.03%) was the most frequently observed haplogroup, indicating the ancestral relationship of Bhotra with the European Romani population.To the best of our knowledge, this is the first global report of the genetic diversity of the Bhotra tribe on 23 Y STR genetic markers, which would be profoundly useful in forensic investigation, medical, and anthropological studies and would also enrich the Indian Y-STR database.