Genetic variation of 17 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) loci from unrelated individuals in Iraq

Analysis of 17 Y chromosomal STR loci in a population sample of 400 unrelated male living in the middle and south of Iraq was done to evaluate allele frequencies and gene diversity for each Y-STR locus of the Y filer™ PCR amplification kit. The seventeen loci include DYS635, DYS437, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, YGATA H4, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS19, DYS391, DYS438, DYS390, DYS439, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385a and DYS385b. Total DNA from blood cells was extracted using the FTA™ paper DNA extraction. A total of 361 unique haplotypes were identified among the four hundred individuals studied. The DYS385b had the highest diversity (GD = 0.8392), while loci DYS392 had the lowest (D = 0.2695).