Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran

Genetic Analysis of Y-STRs in Two Iranian Sub-Populations

Document Type : Original Paper

Authors

1 1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Islamic Republic of Iran

2 2 Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Guilan, Rasht, Islamic Republic of Iran

3 3 Molecular Genetics Department, Mashhad Forensic Medical Center, Mashhad, Islamic Republic of Iran

4 4 Forensic Medical Research Center, National Forensic Medical Organization, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

5 5 The Roslin Institute and Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive genetic analysis of 17 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat (Y-STR) loci in two Iranian sub-populations from the Fars (n=109) and Isfahan (n=180) provinces. The loci investigated included DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635 (Y-GATA-C4), and Y-GATA-H4. Results demonstrated that the DYS385a/b locus exhibited the greatest allelic diversity in both populations, with 11 distinct alleles detected and mean allele counts of 6.29 and 5.88 in the Fars and Isfahan groups, respectively. Conversely, the Fars cohort showed the lowest allelic variation (three alleles) at DYS439 and Y-GATA-H4 loci, while the Isfahan population exhibited minimal variation (four alleles) at DYS19 and DYS439. Haplotype analyses revealed intra-population sharing rates of 2.75% in Fars and 10.0% in Isfahan, with an overall 8.3% haplotype overlap observed across the combined dataset of 289 individuals. Both populations exhibited high haplotype diversity values approaching 0.99, indicating substantial genetic variability. The haplotype discrimination capacity varied among populations, with value of 0.9725 for Fars, 0.8519 for Isfahan, and 0.9170 for the entire sample set. Population differentiation was assessed using pairwise FST and RST metrics, which confirmed significant genetic divergence between Fars and Isfahan groups (FST = 0.00743, p < 0.001; RST = 0.0106, p < 0.01). These findings underscore the genetic distinctness of the two sub-populations. The study highlights the necessity for further research incorporating Y-chromosomal single-nucleotide polymorphisms (Y-SNPs), larger sample sizes, and additional ancestral information to enhance the understanding of genetic structure and demographic history within Iranian populations.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Journal of Sciences, Islamic Republic of Iran
Volume 36, Issue 1
January 2025
Pages 5-19