Pitterl F., Schmidt K., Huber G., Zimmermann B., Delport R., Amory S., Ludes B., Oberacher H., Parson W.
Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Medical Genetics, Innsbruck Medical University, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology, Institute of Legal Medicine, Strasbourg University, 67000 Strasbourg, France; International Commission on Missing Persons, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pitterl, F., Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Schmidt, K., Department of Medical Genetics, Innsbruck Medical University, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Huber, G., Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Zimmermann, B., Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Delport, R., Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa; Amory, S., Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria, Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology, Institute of Legal Medicine, Strasbourg University, 67000 Strasbourg, France, International Commission on Missing Persons, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ludes, B., Laboratory of Molecular Anthropology, Institute of Legal Medicine, Strasbourg University, 67000 Strasbourg, France; Oberacher, H., Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria; Parson, W., Institute of Legal Medicine, Innsbruck Medical University, Müllerstrasse 44, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Short tandem repeat (STR) typing has become the standard technique in forensic methodology for the identification of unknown samples. National DNA databases have been established that contain STR genotypes for intelligence purposes. Due to their success, national DNA databases have been growing so fast that the number of advantageous matches may become a logistic problem for the analysts. This is especially true for partial STR profiles as they display reduced discrimination power. To overcome this drawback, modified versions (so-called mini-STRs) of existing loci were introduced as well as new loci to improve the information content of (partial) STR profiles. We pursue an alternative approach that makes use of nucleotide variation within the amplified STR fragments, which can be discerned by mass spectrometry. We have developed an assay that determines molecular masses from crude STR amplicons which were purified and separated by a liquid chromatographic system directly hyphenated to an electrospray ionization mass spectrometer. We present here new population data of forensically relevant STRs in Khoisan and Yakut populations. These autochthonous groups were selected as they may harbor additional STR alleles that are rare or unobserved in modern humans from cosmopolitan areas, especially for the Khoisan, which are known to represent a very ancient human population. The analysis of the molecular mass of STRs offered a widened spectrum of allele variability escorted by enhanced forensic use. Thus, established STR data derived from fragment size analysis can still be used in casework or in the context of intelligence databasing. © Springer-Verlag 2010.