Genetic variation at 15 autosomal STR loci in Bhil tribal population of Central India.

Aims: Genotypic polymorphism studies at 15 highly polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) loci were carried out in Bhil tribal population of Madhya Pradesh, in central region of India.Methods: The analysis of 15 autosomal STR loci (TH01, D3S1358, vWA, D21S11, TPOX, D7S820, D19S433, D5S818, D2S1338, D16S539, CSF1PO, D13S317, FGA, D18S51, D8S1179) was done in 183 unrelated individuals of the Bhil tribe.Results: Heterozygosity among the studied 15 autosomal STR loci ranged from 63.5-86.5%. The loci D2S1338 and FGA were found to be mostly polymorphic. All loci fall under Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, except loci D18S51 and D7S820. These STR loci were highly informative and discriminating, with CPD>0.99999.Conclusion: The clustering pattern of the NJ tree and the PCA plot showed grouping of the Bhil population with previously reported tribes of central India.