Sousse, Tunisia: Tumultuous history and high Y‐STR diversity

Abstract

In the present study, 17 Y-chromosomal STR (Y-STR) loci were typed in 218 unrelated males from Sousse, Central-East Tunisia, to evaluate forensic and population genetic applications of the data. A total of 154 different haplotypes were identified, 127 (82.5%) of which were unique, with the most frequent haplotype occurring in 14 individuals (6.4%). The locus diversity ranged from 0.2050 at DYS392 to 0.8760 at DYS385. The haplotype diversity at the 17-loci resolution was calculated to be 0.9916, while the corresponding values for the extended (11 loci) and minimal (9 loci) haplotypes were estimated at 0.9735 and 0.9710, respectively. Comparison with 29 regional and global populations using correspondence analysis, neighbor joining (NJ) tree, and Rst genetic distance revealed that the Sousse population is highly diverse. This finding is consistent with historical data. Furthermore, the results of this study indicate a distinct genetic substructure among Tunisian populations. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the 17 Y-STRs analyzed are highly informative for individual identification, parentage analysis, and population genetic studies.

Are polymorphisms of the immunoregulatory factor CD40LG implicated in acute transfusion reactions?

“…Both French and North African populations have a tumultuous history with various ancestors but the Tunisian population appears to be significantly more heterogeneous as demonstrated by Y-STR diversity in the Sousse population51; the three novel polymorphisms are also in favor of the extreme heterogeneity in the studied cohort (Figure 1)355253. Heterogeneity in haplotype frequencies is often higher in Africans such as the YRI group, in comparison to the European populations who left the African continent and experienced bottlenecks during their migrations, reducing SNPs diversity (Figure 2).…”

Genetic diversity and haplotype structure of 24 Y‐chromosomal STR in Chinese Hui ethnic group and its genetic relationships with other populations

“…Pairwise genetic distances ( F ST values) were carried out based on the haplotype frequencies utilizing Arlequin software v3.5.1.2 at Y‐filer 17 loci level and a significance level was ascertained at 0.05. P ‐values were adjusted applying sequential Bonferroni correction ( p = 0.05/91 = 0.00055) to compensate for potential type I errors, as described previously . A multidimensional scaling (MDS) plot including 14 populations was performed utilizing the software SPSS v18 for Windows (SPSS, Chicago, USA) based on pairwise F ST values of 17 Y‐filer loci.…”

“…Y‐STR loci located on the nonrecombining portion of Y‐chromosome are invaluable addition to autosomal loci in forensic application. With a special mode of inheritance, high polymorphism, and lack of recombination, Y‐STRs have shown excellent ability not only in mixed stains, rape cases, and kinship testings , but also in the study of population genetic structure . With the establishment of the Y‐STR database (e.g.…”

Genetic diversity and haplotype structure of 21 Y‐STRs, including nine noncore loci, in South Tunisian Population: Forensic relevance

“…The limited DC of the Y-STR extended haplotype in Tunisia has led to the use of AmpFlSTR R Y filer TM Kit with 17 markers. However, this panel of markers recorded DC values of 71.21 and 71.29%, respectively, in the two studies [7,8].…”

“…The DC in another study comprising one cosmopolitan population from Tunis and three ethnic Tunisian groups (Andalusians, Berbers, and Arabs) was even decreased to 56.27% using the PowerPlex R Y kit [6]. Genotyping 17 markers of Y-STRs using the AmpFlSTRY filer kit across two Berber communities from Takrouna and Sejenane [7], and males from Sousse in Central-East of Tunisia [8] resulted in discrimination capacities of 71.21 and 71.29%, respectively. Despite the robustness of the commercialized kits used in the previous studies, the recorded DC values were severely compromised.…”