A unified STR profiling system across multiple species with whole genome sequencing data

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Forensic Science
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Short tandem repeats (STRs) are highly polymorphic genetic markers crucial for forensic applications.
• Existing STR profiling systems are species-specific and costly to maintain simultaneously.
• Genomic data availability enables the development of unified STR profiling systems for multiple species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and develop a unified set of STR loci applicable to multiple mammalian species.
• To create a cost-effective and efficient forensic STR profiling system.

Main Methods:

• Collected whole genome sequence data for target species (human, dog, cat, cattle, etc.).
• Mapped species genomes to the human reference genome and extracted STR loci.
• Developed an algorithm incorporating optimized combined power of discrimination to select a subset of STR loci.

Main Results:

• Identified a unified set of STR loci shared across multiple mammalian species.
• Achieved high combined power of discrimination (>1x10^-9) for individual and mixed populations.
• Attained low random-match probability (<10^-7) across all involved species.

Conclusions:

• A unified STR profiling system is feasible for forensic applications across ten common mammalian species.
• The developed STR loci enable individual identification and paternity testing.
• The loci selection algorithm is adaptable for various forensic parameters and species combinations.