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The effect of number of loci on geographical structuring and forensic applicability of Y-STR data in Finland

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Abstract

The Y-chromosomal diversity among Finnish males is characterized by low diversity and substantial geographical substructuring. In a 12-locus data set (PowerPlexY), espe-cially the eastern parts of the country showed low levels of variation, and the western, middle, and eastern parts of Finland differed from each other by their Y-short tandem repeat (STR) haplotype frequencies (Palo et al., Forensic Sci Int Genet 1:120–124, 2007). In this paper, we have analyzed geographical patterns of Y-STR diversity using both 12-locus (PowerPlexY) and 17-locus (Yfiler) data sets from the same set of geographically structured samples. In the larger data set, the haplotype diversity is significantly higher, as expected. The geographical distribution of haplotypes is similar in both data sets, but the level of interregional differences is significantly lower in the Yfiler data. The implications of these observations on the forensic casework are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Ms. Marika Merisalo and Mrs. Airi Sinkko for technical assistance, and four anonymous referees for their comments on the manuscript. Financial support was provided by the Academy of Finland: grants 1109265 and 1111713 to JUP; grant 80578 to AS within the framework of the European Science Foundation EUROCORES programme “The Origin of Man, Language and Languages”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Helsinki, PO BOX 40, 00014, Helsinki, Finland

    Jukka U. Palo & Antti Sajantila

  2. Forensic Laboratory, National Bureau of Investigation, PO BOX 285, 01301, Vantaa, Finland

    Markus Pirttimaa, Auli Bengs & Vivian Johnsson

  3. Paternity Testing Laboratory, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, 00300, Helsinki, Finland

    Ismo Ulmanen & Matti Lukka

  4. Vaasa Central Hospital, Hietalahdenkatu 2-4, 65130, Vaasa, Finland

    Bjarne Udd

Authors
  1. Jukka U. Palo
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  2. Markus Pirttimaa
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  3. Auli Bengs
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  4. Vivian Johnsson
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  5. Ismo Ulmanen
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  6. Matti Lukka
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  8. Antti Sajantila
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Correspondence to Jukka U. Palo.

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Palo, J.U., Pirttimaa, M., Bengs, A. et al. The effect of number of loci on geographical structuring and forensic applicability of Y-STR data in Finland. Int J Legal Med 122, 449–456 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0250-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-008-0250-6

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