Results of collaborative study regarding the standardization of the Y-linked STR system DYS385 by the European DNA Profiling (EDNAP) group.

Y-chromosome linked short tandem repeat (STR) loci are inherited as a closely linked haplotype, which appears to remain stable in a given paternal lineage over many generations. In forensic cases, Y-linked STRs are particularly useful for the identification of human remains as well as in rape cases with mixed male/female stain samples. DYS385 is derived from tandemly duplicated segments of the Y chromosome thus giving rise to two fragments of variable length which do not behave like alleles but genotypes. The European DNA Profiling (EDNAP) group has carried out a collaborative exercise among 14 participating laboratories using DYS385 for typing of five unknown bloodstains and a control sample. Furthermore, population data from eight different European countries with samples sizes between 91 and 150 male individuals were collected. The results confirm previous observations that DYS385 is one of the most informative Y-linked STR loci. It could also be demonstrated that reproducible results can be obtained independently from the electrophoretic separation and detection methods used. Thus DYS385 may serve as a useful complementation to the routinely used autosomal STR systems in special cases.