Population genetics of 17 Y chromosome STR loci in a diverse ethnically groups of Polish citizens

INTRODUCTION: The Y-chromosome has become a powerful tool in identification and characterization of male DNA in forensic analysis. If Y-STRs are used in forensic analysis it is important to establish a meaning of a match (how frequent a particular haplotype has been observed in a population). In literature higher haplotype frequency values were observed in samples from small and isolated populations such as Gypsies. Till now the lack is given on of the genetic differentiation Gypsies resident the territory of Poland and comparative research with a Polish population. This data are indispensable for the correct estimation of the power of the evidence in judicial expertise. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, we reported basic forensic parameters for a 17 Y-STR from the set AmpFISTR Yfiler PCR Amplification Kit for the Gypsy population from the area of Poland and for the Polish population, and also the data were compared to other population samples from India and Europe. RESULTS: A total of 150 unrelated males from Gypsy population produced 78 different haplotypes of which 50 were unique. In population sample of 210 autochthonous Poles 195 different haplotypes were observed of which 185 were found in single individuals. The overall haplotype lower in Gypsy population but the haplotype sharing within population was higher. Both population groups can be distinguished based on AMOVA estimates. Thus a database of multi-locus haplotypes included various ethnic populations from Poland territory is required to provide a statistical estimate of the significance of a match.