Forensic parameters and ancestral fractions in the Kedayan population inferred using 21 autosomal STR loci

Abstract Few population groups in Borneo (Sabah and Sarawak) have been genetically characterized. No study has ever been done on the Kedayan population. In this project, genetic polymorphism was measured at 21 autosomal STR loci in 200 unrelated Kedayan individuals living in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia and their forensic statistics calculated. We also compared these new data with those from elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa. A PCO plot showed that Austronesian populations in the Asia-Pacific region plot closely together and well separated from the unrelated reference populations. Our statistics show that these 21 STR loci are highly informative for population studies and fully suitable for use in forensic DNA analyses.