Genetic characteristics and population study of 4 X-chromosomal STRs in Koreans: evidence for a null allele at DXS9898

The four X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), DXS9898, DXS6809, DXS7424 and DXS10011 were analyzed by single multiplex PCR in 150 male and 150 female Koreans. The loss of an allele at DXS9898 was observed in 13 out of 450 chromosomes (2.9%) and the PCR analysis showed that the X-chromosome with a null allele at DXS9898 has more than 1 kb deletion at the DXS9898 locus. Statistical analyses for these four X-STRs showed that they are highly informative for forensic application in Koreans. No linkage disequilibrium was observed among these four STRs and the previously reported five polymorphic STRs, HumARA, DXS101, GATA172D05, HPRTB and DXS8377 in Koreans. The test of homogeneity between allele frequencies revealed that there are some discrepancies in allele distributions between Koreans and Germans.