Application of a 64-plex Panel in the Study of Genetic Polymorphism and Population Structure of Kyrgyz Group

Objective To assess the forensic application value of 59 InDel loci and two miniSTR loci in Chinese Kyrgyz group,and to explore the genetic structure and genetic background of this group. Methods A total of 99 Kyrgyz individuals were genotyped through the 64-plex panel,which was developed independently by our lab.Allele frequencies and forensic parameters were calculated for the InDel loci and miniSTR loci included in the 64-plex panel.The application potential of these loci for full sibling identification was assessed by simulating 5 000 pairs of full siblings and unrelated individuals,respectively,via Familias v3 software.Additionally,various population analysis methods were employed to systematically explore the genetic relationships among the Kyrgyz group and 35 reference populations from five continents. Results The average polymorphism information content of the 59 InDel loci and two miniSTR loci in the Kyrgyz group were 0.365 1 and 0.753 6,respectively.The cumulative discrimination power and cumulative probability of exclusion of the 61 loci mentioned above were 1-1.928 4×10^-27 and 0.999 996 539 2,respectively.When the likelihood threshold was set at 100,the accuracy of this panel in distinguishing full siblings from unrelated individuals reached 93.93%.The results of population genetic analyses indicated that the Kyrgyz group had the mixed genetic components of East Asian and European populations,and was genetically closer to the East Asian populations,particularly the Mongolian group. Conclusions The 59 InDel loci and two miniSTR loci show high forensic application value in individual identification and parentage testing and demonstrate certain application potential in full sibling relationship identification.Meanwhile,the results further reveal the mixed East Asian-European genetic background of the Kyrgyz group.This study enriches the genetic resource information on Chinese ethnic minorities and provides basic data to support forensic practice.