Forensic Application of Two Short Tandem Repeat Systems: HUMTH01 and HUMvWA31

Over the past few years many laboratories worldwide have introduced analysis of DNA polymorphisms as a routine method for forensic purposes. In particular, VNTRs, investigated by PCR, have reached an important position after considerable development. At present laboratories are studying a further series of highly polymorphic loci whose polymorphism derives from a dimeric-trimeric-tetrameric tandem repeated core sequence, named short tandem repeats (STRs) (Weber and May 1989; Edwards et a1.1991). The aim of the present study was to investigate two of these STRs, HUMTH01 (Edwards et al. 1992) and HUMvWA31 (Kimpton et al. 1992) to evaluate:1) allele frequencies in an Italian population sample, and 2) their efficiency for personal identification on aged bloodstains from various substrates.