Developing a SNP panel for forensic identification of individuals.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are likely in the near future to have a fundamental role in forensics in both human identification and description. However, considerable research is necessary to establish adequate scientific foundations for these applications. In the case of identification, because allele frequencies can vary greatly among populations, the population genetics of match probabilities is a critical issue. Some SNPs, however, show little allele frequency variation among populations while remaining highly informative. We describe here both an efficient strategy for identifying and characterizing such SNPs, and test that strategy on a broad representation of world populations. Markers with high heterozygosity and little frequency variation among African American, European American, and East Asian populations are selected for additional screening on seven populations that provide a sampling of genetic variation from the world's major geographical regions. Those with little allele frequency variation on the seven populations are then screened on a total of 40 populations ( approximately 2100 individuals) and the most promising retained. The preliminary panel of 19 SNPs, from an initial selection of 195 SNPs, gives an average match probability of <10(-7) in most of 40 populations studied and no greater than 10(-6) in the most isolated, inbred populations. Expansion of this panel to approximately 50 comparable SNPs should give match probabilities of about 10(-15) with a small global range.
Kidd
Kenneth K
KK
Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. Kenneth.Kidd@yale.edu <Kenneth.Kidd@yale.edu>
Pakstis
Andrew J
AJ
Speed
William C
WC
Grigorenko
Elena L
EL
Kajuna
Sylvester L B
SL
Karoma
Nganyirwa J
NJ
Kungulilo
Selemani
S
Kim
Jong-Jin
JJ
Lu
Ru-Band
RB
Odunsi
Adekunle
A
Okonofua
Friday
F
Parnas
Josef
J
Schulz
Leslie O
LO
Zhukova
Olga V
OV
Kidd
Judith R
JR
D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D053803:Forensic Genetics / Q000379:methods*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000235:genetics*