Assessment of Genetic Polymorphisms in the Rewa Population of Central India Using Y-Chromosomal STR Markers

The aim of the study was to analyze unrelated samples from the Rewa male population of Central India by targeting Y-short tandem repeats (STR) and then compare the results to previously published Y-STR haplotype data.

A total of 181 unrelated male subjects from the Rewa population were genotyped for seventeen Y-STRs (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385a/b, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, and Y-GATA-H4) by using an AmpFlSTR® Yfiler™ multiplex kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, USA). The allele frequencies and forensic parameters were evaluated.

A total of 111 distinct Y-STR alleles with corresponding frequencies ranging from 0.006 to 0.829 were identified. The gene diversity values ranged from 0.3092 at DYS437 to 0.8188 at DYS385b. The studied population showed a high level of haplotype diversity (0.9985) and discrimination capacity (0.927). A haplotype analysis was also conducted. Among the 181 unrelated male samples, 165 haplotypes and 153 unique haplotypes were found. Additionally, Rst (genetic distance) values were calculated using the analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) for the studied population and for other 18 populations described in the literature. The Rst provides a convenient parameter for estimating the level of genetic differentiation from the microsatellite data. Based on these Rst values and using the multidimensional scaling plot, a neighbor-joining tree was constructed.

The high values of haplotype diversity and discrimination capacity indicate a great potential for distinguishing between male individuals in the studied population. The present population data are expected to find their use in forensic caseworks and population genetics.