Genetic variability of the SNPforID 52-plex identification SNP panel in Italian population samples

Expansion of a SNaPshot assay to a 55-SNP multiplex: Assay enhancements, validation, and power in forensic science

A previously developed multiplex assay with 44 individual identification SNPs was expanded to a 55plex assay. Fifty-four highly informative SNPs and an amelogenin sex marker were amplified in one PCR reaction and then detected with two SNaPshot reactions using CE. PCR primers for four loci, 28 single-base extension primers, and the reaction conditions were altered to improve the robustness of the method. A detailed approach for allele calling was developed to guide analysis of the electropherogram. One hundred and eighty unrelated individuals and 100 father-child-mother trios of the Han population in Hebei, China were analyzed. No mutation was found in the SNP loci. The combined mean match probability and cumulative probability of exclusion were 1.327 × 10(-22) and 0.999932, respectively. Analysis of the 54 SNPs and 26 STRs (included in the AmpFLSTR Identifiler and Investigator HDplex kits) showed no significant linkage disequilibriums. Our research shows that the expanded SNP multiplex assay is an easily performed and valuable method to supplement STR analysis.

Comparison of the genetic background of different Colombian populations using the SNPforID 52plex identification panel

Various strategies for analysing SNP markers and genotyping have been published with the goal of obtaining informative profiles from biological samples that contain only small amounts of template and/or degraded DNA. In this study, a multiplex assay of 52 autosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was used to analyse 438 individuals from urban populations from different regions of Colombia, as well as a sample of 50 Native American individuals of the Pastos ethnic group from Nariño. To determine if significant differences in these 52 SNPs exist between the distinct regions of Colombia, genetic distance and admixture analyses were performed based on the available data for 17 different Colombian population groups and for population groups from Africa, Europe and America. The results demonstrate significant differences between the populations from the Southwest Andean, Central-West Andean, Central-East Andean, Orinoquian and northern Colombian Pacific Coast regions. Most of the regions exhibited a European and Native American admixture. One exception is the population from the region of Chocó (on the northern Pacific Coast), which exhibits a high proportion of African admixture (54 %). From the observed genetic backgrounds, it is possible to conclude that a single reference database for the entire country would not be suitable for forensic purposes. The allele frequencies and the forensically relevant parameters were calculated for all of the markers in each Colombian region with significant values for the combined matching probability (power of discrimination ≥0.99999999999999990) and the combined probability of exclusion (≥0.9990) in trios that were obtained from all of the population groups.