Online reference database of European Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) haplotypes

Abstract

The reference database of highly informative Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) haplotypes (YHRD), available online at http://ystr.charite.de, represents the largest collection of male-speci®c genetic pro®les currently available for European populations. By September 2000, YHRD contained 4688 9-locus (so-called``minimal'') haplotypes, 40% of which have been extended further to include two additional loci. Establishment of YHRD has been facilitated by the joint efforts of 31 forensic and anthropological institutions. All contributing laboratories have agreed to standardize their Y-STR haplotyping protocols and to participate in a quality assurance exercise prior to the inclusion of any data. In view of its collaborative character, and in order to put YHRD to its intended use, viz. the support of forensic caseworkers in their routine decisionmaking process, the database has been made publicly available via the Internet in February 2000. Online searches for complete or partial Y-STR haplotypes from evidentiary or non-probative material can be performed on a non-commercial basis, and yield observed haplotype counts as well as extrapolated population frequency estimates. In addition, the YHRD website provides information about the quality control test, genotyping protocols, haplotype formats and informativity, population genetic analysis, literature references, and a list of contact addresses of the contributing laboratories. #

Forensic value of 14 novel STRs on the human Y chromosome

“…The most common European haplotype, 14-(11,14)-13-16-24-11-13-13, is found in 3.1% of 9972 individuals in the Y-STR HRDatabase [17]. This haplotype was found at 5.4% in the European-American sample.…”

“…There are shared Y-STR haplotypes in populations because either males share identity by descent or because a particular set of Y-STRs does not distinguish closely related, but different, paternal lineages. In a sample of 41 European populations the discrimination capacities were 52% (n ¼ 4688 individuals) and 71% (n ¼ 1957 individuals) using the minimal and extended sets of Y-STRs, respectively [17]. The discrimination capacity in the Iberian Peninsula study [15] was 83% using 19 Y-STRs.…”

“…Much progress has been made in establishing a large database of many European populations using the following Y-STRs: DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I, DYS389II-I, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, and DYS393. These Y-STRs define the ''minimal haplotype'', while the addition of YCAII to the these Y-STRs has been termed the ''extended haplotype'' [1,16,17] (Y-STR Haplotype Reference Database http://www.ystr.charite.de/ index_gr.html).…”

Differential Greek and northern African migrations to Sicily are supported by genetic evidence from the Y chromosome

“…These loci form the core set included in the YHRD Database. 32 Extended search in this database (which currently reports 52 655 haplotypes in a worldwide set of 464 populations) shows that the allelic frequencies in the Sicilian sample and Europeans do not differ significantly, with the exception of the DYS391 locus: in Sicily, the nine repeat allele occurs at a frequency of 11.7%, whereas it is very rare elsewhere in Europe; on the other hand it occurs in Tunisia at a frequency of 40%. 23 The DYS445 microsatellite that normally shows an allele of 11 -12 repeats has been observed with a deletion (only six repeats are present) in the J2 Hg.…”

The genetic structure of the Slovak population revealed by Y-chromosome polymorphisms

“…It has been demonstrated that Slavic Y-STR haplotype paternal lineages form a separate branch of the phylogenetic tree of European populations (Roewer et al, 2001(Roewer et al, , 2005. Various parts of Slovakia have different times belonged to the Samos Empire (the first known political unit of Slavs), Great Moravia, the Habsburg (Austrian) monarchy, the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and Czechoslovakia.…”