DNA Polymorphism of 13 Autosomal Short Tandem Repeats (STR) Loci in Mentawai Populations

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Indonesia consists of various ethnic groups with diverse cultures. However, research on allele frequencies and genetic variations of each ethnic group in Indonesia has not been well established. Therefore, a study was conducted on 13 STR loci panels to analyze the mentawai population as an enhancement of the Indonesian population's genetic data library and genetic variation. Mentawai is one of the Indonesian tribes who live on Mentawai Island, West Sumatera. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The PrepFiler kit to extract DNA from blood and the GlobalFiler kit for amplifying the 13 loci were used. The genetic analyzer ABI PRISM 3500 was used to detect PCR products. Data were processed and analyzed by EasyDNA and FORSTAT software. <b>Results:</b> The allele frequency data for 13 autosomal loci in Mentawai populations were obtained. Expected heterozygosity was found with a minimum of 0.607 for TPOX and a maximum of 0.866 for FGA. Power of discrimination (PD) values ranges from TPOX (0.792) to FGA (0.968). Polymorphic information content (PIC) values for all loci were high, ranging from 0.642 for TPOX to 0.921 for vWA. Three off-ladder alleles in these findings were detected. Allele 6.3 at the TH01 loci and allele 14.2 at the D18S51 loci are exquisite. The mean expected heterozygosity and mean power of discrimination value across the 13 loci were 75.9 and 90.1%, indicating striking gene diversity. <b>Conclusion:</b> These 13 STR loci can be used for population genetic studies and forensic identification.