Haplotyping of Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats DYS481, DYS570, DYS576 and DYS643 in three Baltic populations

Abstract The aim of the present study was to characterize four less intensively investigated Y-STRs, namely DYS481, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS643, that were introduced by Lim et al. [1] as being more diverse than commonly used markers. The haplotype distribution of these Y-STRs in a German sample from West Saxony has been published earlier this year [2]. Here, we investigated three additional populations from the Baltics and compared the results to those obtained in the Germans. The Y-STRs were found to be highly polymorphic in the Baltic populations with a discrimination capacity similar to that seen in other studies. Our results highlight shows the usefulness of the investigated markers for forensic purposes as an addition to the minimal or extended Y-STR haplotypes. Their inclusion in routine genotyping would allow the definition of unique haplotypes in most practical cases.