Analysis of forensic genetic parameters of 22 autosomal STR markers (PowerPlex® Fusion System) in a population sample from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Kinship analysis of skeletal remains from the Middle Ages

Medieval cemeteries Klisa-Guca Gora, Alihodze and Glavica-Han Bila located in the Travnik area (Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina) were archaeologically examined in the period 2011-2014, revealing human skeletal remains of 11 individuals in total. Archaeological skeletal samples, previously deposited in Travnik Homeland Museum (Travnik, Bosnia and Herzegovina) were subjected to genetic analysis. The aim of this research was to test familiar relationship of 11 individuals excavated from three medieval cemeteries and to predict Y-haplogroup for male individuals. In order to perform molecular-genetic characterisation of collected human skeletal remains, two systems of genetic markers were analysed: autosomal and Y-STR loci. Complete or partial data obtained by autosomal STR typing of 11 individuals were subjected to kinship analysis. Male sex was determined in eight samples out of 11. Direct relatives of the "brother-brother" type were detected in one case with high kinship probability (KP) value of 99.99996 %. Complete or nearly complete and usable Y-STR profiles were obtained for six out of eight male individuals. The presence of identical haplotypes at Y-STR loci and results of Y-haplogroup prediction suggest that all male individuals share the same paternal lineage and belong to J2a haplogroup. Overall, this study emphasises the usefulness, efficiency and sensitivity of STR markers in the molecular-genetic characterisation of old skeletal remains as well as the importance of employing additional markers like Y-STRs in archaeogenetic studies, besides traditionally used autosomal STR markers, in order to get a comprehensive information about close and distant relatives, and ancestry.

The Impact of Leukemia on the Detection of Short Tandem Repeat (STR) Markers

INTRODUCTION

Short tandem repeats (STRs) have been used for various identity typing methods worldwide. They have high discrimination power in human identification in forensics, paternity testing, missed personal identification, genetic diseases, and gene regulatory functions. They have also been used to detect and monitor the stability of diseases, including various types of cancer. This study aimed to investigate the impact of leukemia on the detection and stability of STR markers.

METHODS

DNA was isolated from 30 participants (15 with chronic myeloid leukemia( CML) and 15 healthy controls) and used to amplify STR markers using specific primers.

RESULTS

We found that the blood of those with leukemia had more 9.3 and 9 alleles at the tyrosine hydroxylase 1 (TH01) marker than the blood of the healthy control samples. The results of this study will help researchers understand leukemia's effect on the detection and stability of STR markers in leukemic patients compared to healthy individuals.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrate that STR markers could become useful in genetic studies of leukemia cases.

Use of Investigator 24plex GO! to analyse allele frequencies of 21 autosomal STRs in the population of Veracruz state, Mexico

BackgroundMexican population databases for autosomal STRs are scarce, and no previous studies have been performed with the Qiagen Investigator 24plex GO! Aim: To analyse the frequency of 21 autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci and forensic parameters in individuals from Veracruz state, Mexico. Subjects and methods: A total of 234 unrelated individuals were analysed with the Investigator 24plex GO! Kit, which includes the following autosomal STRs: TH01, D3S1358, vWA, D21S11, TPOX, D1S1656, D12S391, SE33, D10S1248, D22S1045, D19S433, D8S133879, D2S1338, D2S441, D18S51, FGA, D16S539, CSF1PO, D13S317, D5S818, and D7S820. Allele frequencies, forensic parameters, and relationships with neighbouring Mexican populations were estimated. Results: The STRs analysed were in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE). The combined matching probability and combined PE were 1.5266 E-24 and 0.999999988711, respectively. The D18S51 and SE33 loci presented the highest Ho (0.8974 and 0.8932) and PE (0.7902 and 0.7815), respectively. The highest PIC (0.9337) and PD (0.9894) values corresponded to SE33. Conversely, D22S1045 had the lowest PIC and PE (0.5533 y 0.3546, respectively). A population cluster among southern Mexican populations, which included non-differentiation between Guerrero and Veracruz states was detected. Conclusion: The forensic efficacy of the 21 STRs analysed by the Investigator 24plex GO! Kit was evaluated in the Veracruz state. Moreover, new population clusters that have not been yet been described and are related to geographic regions were identified, and these are in agreement with previously reported ancestral differences.