Frequency of Short Tandem Repeat Alleles in Prisoners in Fars Province, Iran

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors

1 Lecturer, Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom Branch, Jahrom, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom Branch, Jahrom, Iran

3 Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Shiraz, Iran

4 PhD Student, Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Jahrom Branch, Jahrom, Iran

Abstract

Background: Microsatellites or short tandem repeats (STRs) are repeating 2-7 base-pair sequences in human genome. They are used to identify individuals in criminal investigations and court cases. This study aimed to determine the frequency of alleles, heterozygosity, and power of discrimination (PD) at four loci out of 13 loci of STRs including CSF1PO, FGA, D18S51, and TPOX in Fars Province, Iran. Methods: In the present study, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were used to evaluate the STRs of 19 criminals in Fars Province, Iran. Findings: PD values for CSF1PO, FGA, TPOX and D18S51 were 0.7852, 0.9166, 0.7339, and 0.8435, respectively. The FGA and D18S51 loci had the highest PD. The most common polymorphism was observed in the FGA and D18S51 loci and the lowest was in the TPOX. The highest expected heterozygosity was observed at loci D18S51 and FGA. TPOX had the lowest heterozygosity. Conclusion: Considering their high PD and polymorphism, FGA and D18S51 are the best loci to identify criminals in Fars Province. Keywords: Short tandem repeats, FGA, D18S51, Criminals, Fars Province