Population genetic study of four closely-linked X-STR trios in Koreans

We investigated four X chromosomal short tandem repeat (X-STR) markers (DXS10079, DXS10103, DXS10146, and DXS10148) in 450 unrelated Koreans (300 males and 150 females), and evaluated their forensic usage in relation to the four X-STR linkage groups. Forensic statistical parameters for these X-STR markers indicated that they are highly informative for forensic application in Koreans. No significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed in any of the four X-STR markers. In addition, we present haplotypes and their frequency data for four linkage groups each comprised of three X-STRs (DXS10148-DXS10135-DXS8378, DXS7132-DXS10079-DXS10074, DXS10103-HPRTB-DXS10101, and DXS10146-DXS10134-DXS7423) in 300 males. Haplotype diversity values in the four linkage trios were all higher than 0.98, and 77.1% of all haplotypes showed a frequency less than 0.01. Therefore, the four closely-linked X-STR trios will contribute to complex kinship testing in Koreans.