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STRs vs. SNPs: thoughts on the future of forensic DNA testing

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Abstract

Largely due to technological progress coming from the Human Genome and International HapMap Projects, the issue has been raised in recent years within the forensic DNA typing community of the potential for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers as possible replacements of the currently used short tandem repeat (STR) loci. Our human identity testing project team at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has explored numerous SNP and STR loci and assays as well as developing miniSTRs for degraded DNA samples. Based on their power of discrimination, use in deciphering mixture components, and ability to be combined in multiplex assays in order to recover information from low amounts of biological material, we believe that STRs rather than SNPs will fulfill the dominant role in human identity testing for the foreseeable future. However, SNPs may play a useful role in specialized applications such as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) testing, Y-SNPs as lineage markers, ancestry informative markers (AIMs), the prediction of phenotypic traits, and other potential niche forensic casework applications.

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Acknowledgements

The assistance of Amy Decker with performing SNP typing and Becky Hill with performing STR and miniSTR typing in our laboratory is gratefully acknowledged. This work was funded in part by the National Institute of Justice through interagency agreement 2003-IJ-R-029 with the NIST Office of Law Enforcement Standards.

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Author notes

  1. Michael D. Coble

    Present address: Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory, Research Section, 1413 Research Blvd., Bldg 101, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Biochemical Science Division, 100 Bureau Drive, Mail Stop 8311, Building 227, Room A243, Gaithersburg, MD, 20899, USA

    John M. Butler, Michael D. Coble & Peter M. Vallone

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  1. John M. Butler
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  2. Michael D. Coble
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  3. Peter M. Vallone
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Correspondence to John M. Butler.

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Official disclaimer: Contribution of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Not subject to copyright. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Certain commercial equipment, instruments and materials are identified in order to specify experimental procedures as completely as possible. In no case does such identification imply a recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology nor does it imply that any of the materials, instruments, or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose. This work was funded in part by the National Institute of Justice through interagency agreement 2003-IJ-R-029 with the NIST Office of Law Enforcement Standards.

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Butler, J.M., Coble, M.D. & Vallone, P.M. STRs vs. SNPs: thoughts on the future of forensic DNA testing. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 3, 200–205 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-007-0018-1

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