Y chromosome STRs in Croatians

Area of Science:

• Forensic Genetics
• Population Genetics
• Human Genetics

Background:

• Y chromosome short tandem repeats (STRs) are crucial genetic markers for population studies.
• Understanding Y-STR diversity aids in tracing paternal lineages and population movements.
• Previous Y-STR data for Croatian populations are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the Y-STR genetic variation in a large sample of unrelated Croatian men.
• To compare Croatian Y-STR allele frequencies with other European populations.
• To establish a Y-STR haplotype database for the Croatian population.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of eight Y chromosome STR loci (DYS19, DYS388, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393).
• Genotyping of 457 unrelated Croatian males.
• Statistical analysis of allele and haplotype frequencies.

Main Results:

• Allele frequency distributions for most Y-STR loci align with general European patterns.
• Significant deviations observed at the DYS19 and DYS389II loci.
• The most common allele at DYS19 was 16; at DYS389II, alleles 30 and 31 were most frequent.
• A predominant Y-STR haplotype (16-13-13-31-24-11-11-13) was identified in 7.22% of individuals.
• High haplotype diversity was noted, with 38.07% of observed haplotypes being unique.

Conclusions:

• The Y-STR profile of Croatian males shows general concordance with other European populations, with specific locus variations.
• The established Y-STR data provide a valuable resource for forensic applications and population genetics research in Croatia.
• The observed haplotype diversity underscores the utility of these markers for individual identification and population substructure analysis.