Abstract
The forensic utility of short tandem repeat (STR) polymorphisms for ethnic inference
(EI) has recently received limited attention from the research community. The large
volume of population specific STR data available from public literature affords us
the opportunity to assess the reliability of EIs based on STR profiles, and present
significant results. We applied a binary Bayesian approach using 15 autosomal STR
loci from computer-simulated and real STR profiles of Han Chinese, Japanese, Korean,
American Caucasian, and a South Asian Indian aboriginal tribal group called Lodha.
A correct classification rate of ≥90% was achieved via simulation for each East Asian
group (Han Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) when paired with the American Caucasian
or the tribal Indian group. Similar result was obtained between the Caucasian and
the Indian group, while the correct classification rates among the three East Asian
groups were much lower (∼70%). Results based on real profiles closely matched those
achieved via simulation, establishing the credibility of our classifier performance
metrics. This study shows that binary Bayesian classifier performed best for ethnic
groups with distinctly different physical traits. This observation might be due to
accidental differences caused by bottlenecks, genetic drift, etc. However, it could
also be taken as an indication that STRs, commonly referred to as “junk” DNA, may
have an effect on phenotype, a possibility that warrants further research.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 06, 2009
Accepted:
March 27,
2009
Received in revised form:
January 7,
2009
Received:
September 17,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
