Journal of Forensic Medicine

Genetic Profiling of the Short Tandem Repeats (STRs) of Y-Chromosome of Populations of South Jordan

Abstract

Ihsan Ali Mahasneh and Qussai Hussein Zuriegat

The aim of this study is to explore the differentiation capacity of 17 Y-Chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat markers (Y-STRs) and to enrich the forensic Y-chromosome databases southern districts of Jordan data for a better knowledge of the frequency and distribution of Y-chromosome markers across these populations. 17 Y-Chromosome Short Tandem Repeats loci (DYS456, DYS389i, DYS390, DYS389ii, DYS458, DYS19, DYS385a, DYS385b, DYS393, DYS391, DYS439, DYS635, DYS392, TAGA H4, DYS437, DYS438, and DYS448) were analyzed in blood samples of 160 unrelated males which were collected freshly and randomly from the governmental hospitals from the Southern Districts of Jordan (Ma’an, Karak, Tafila, Aqaba). The frequency of the alleles among Southern Districts of Jordan ranged from 0.61 to 89.6. The genetic diversity values for each Y-chromosome STRs ranged from a minimum of 0.2 to a maximum of 0.8. The minimal haplotype (calculated manually ≥ 75%) is composed of four STRs which were observed in the Southern Districts samples equivalent to most commonly loci which would be appear at this order, DYS392, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439, ranged from a minimum of 75.5 % for (DYS439), 82.4% for (DYS438), 87.5 % for (DYS437), 89.7% for (DYS392), with mean value equal 83.8%. The similarity of our result to other Districts of Jordan is in the following order: Ajloun (100%), Irbid (75%), Jarash (25%), Mafraq (75%), Amman (75%), Zarqa (50%), Madaba (50%), and Salt (50%). The similarity of our result to other regional countries is in the following order: (Saudi Arabia (75%), Iraq (75%), Qatar (100%), Kuwait (25%), and United Arab Emirates (50%) Bahrain (50%), Oman (100%) and Yemen (75%), Syria (50%), Lebanon (0%), Libya (75%), Egypt (75%), Mauritania (75%), Tunis (75%), Algeria (75%) Morocco (100 %), Sudan (100%), Somali (25%). Our data shows that all Y –STR’s loci typed were a bimodal distribution in paternity testing and in individual identification cases. These analyses support use of the haplotype population data for estimating Y-STR profile frequencies for populations residing in South Jordan and provides an informative analysis of the Y-Chromosomal STR diversity in the Arab population and emphasizes the discrimination capacity of high-resolution Y-STR typing that can be achieved in the Arab population for the forensic DNAcasework.