Short tandem repeat (STR) locus HUMD8S306 in a large population sample from Germany

Area of Science:

• Forensic Genetics
• Molecular Biology
• Population Genetics

Background:

• DNA typing is crucial for medico-legal investigations, criminalistics, and paternity testing.
• High inclusion and exclusion probabilities are essential for reliable forensic DNA analysis.
• Short tandem repeat (STR) loci are widely used in forensic DNA profiling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the D8S306 short autosomal tandem repeat locus for forensic applications.
• To determine the allele frequencies of D8S306 in four German populations.
• To assess the utility of D8S306 in a multiplex PCR system for forensic casework.

Main Methods:

• Validation of the D8S306 locus for forensic use.
• Incorporation of D8S306 into a multiplex PCR reaction with HUMDHFRP2 and HUMCD4.
• Analysis of allele frequencies in 1220 alleles from four German regions.

Main Results:

• The D8S306 locus demonstrated high heterozygosity (83%) and expected exclusion chances (96% in stain cases, 69% in paternity cases).
• Allele distributions across the four German regions were not significantly different and in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
• Successful amplification was achieved with as little as 30 pg of DNA.

Conclusions:

• D8S306 is a valuable genetic marker for forensic DNA typing due to its high discriminatory power.
• The established allele frequencies provide a robust population database for German populations.
• The D8S306 locus is suitable for inclusion in multiplex PCR systems for routine forensic analysis.