Genetic variation of 12 X-chromosomal STR loci in an East Timor sample

East Timor (República Democrática de Timor Leste) is a country with a population around 1 million inhabitants located in Southeast Asia and composed of 13 districts, including the eastern half of the Timor Island, Ataúro and Jaco islands, and the coastal enclave of Oecusse-Ambeno located in West Timor. Examples of the importance of X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) analysis include parentage identification, namely in cases involving father/daughter relationships, paternity in close relative deficiency cases without access to the putative father, maternity testing, and in rape or incest cases. In this study, 149 saliva samples were collected from unrelated individuals from East Timor and 12 X-chromosomal STRs genotyped using Investigator® Argus X-12 kit (Qiagen). A total of 13 alleles not included in Investigator Argus X-12 allelic ladder (off-ladder alleles) were found, four of which never reported (alleles 34.1 and 38.1 at DXS10134, allele 17.2 at DXS10074, and allele 28.1 at DXS10146). Allele 27.3 at DXS10101 and alleles 26, 28, and 29 at DXS10148 have already been observed in other populations but their frequencies are considerably higher in East Timor population. Allele frequencies and population statistic parameters were calculated for East Timor population and data contextualized in Southeast Asia/Pacific Region.