Population genetics data of 23 autosomal STR loci for three Populations in United Arab Emirates

In the present study, forensic parameters were estimated for three populations residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) including UAE Arabs, Pakistanis and Indians based on the population data of 23 autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs). The UAE Arabs is a vital population to study due to high rates of consanguineous marriages. Therefore, it is essential to estimate the allele distribution and frequencies within this population. In addition, it is crucial to study the largest communities living in the UAE such as Indians and Pakistanis. A total of 1272 blood samples were collected on FTA® cards, comprising of 571 UAE Arabs, 352 Indians and 349 Pakistanis. All of these samples were amplified directly using Verifiler® Express PCR Amplification Kit that focuses on 23 autosomal STR loci, namely D3S1358, vWA, D16S539, CSF1PO, TPOX, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D2S441, D19S433, TH01, FGA, D22S1045, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, D10S1248, D1S1656, D12S391, D2S1338, D6S1043, Penta D and Penta E loci. The PCR products were electrophoresed on ABI 3500 Genetic Analyzer and analyzed using GeneMapper ID-X v1.4 software. Arlequin v3.5 and PowerStats software were utilized to determine the forensic parameters and population structure using AMOVA. Gene diversity, ranged from 0.67406 (TPOX) to 0.9226 (Penta E) in the UAE Arabs, 0.69955 (TPOX) to 0.9214 (Penta E) in Indian and 0.69853 (TPOX) to 0.921 (Penta E) in Pakistani population. The most discriminating autosomal STR loci observed was Penta E (PD = 0.985), (PD = 0.986), (PD = 0.986) in the UAE Arabs, Indian and Pakistani population, respectively. The obtained results showed the 23 STR loci had a relatively high genetic variation, confirming the suitability for forensic identification and kinship analysis, in the relevant populations. The significance of this study is to build an allelic frequency database for one of the most powerful commercially available STR amplification kits by using the current forensic workflow.