[01] Yousef Alrajhi, Microbiology Department, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington DC, USA.

The usage of DNA sequencing and fingerprinting has given rise to many powerful techniques that are extremely useful in the modern world, two particular areas where these have become vitally important is in the determination of paternity and in the investigation of ancestral roots. STR allele frequency and mtDNA HVR sequencing are both used for human identification purposes, they can also be applied to determine the area an individual most likely came from and the lineage they originated from tracking inheritance patterns over several generations. In this study we tested twenty related individuals of Arabic descent for both mtDNA and STR allele frequency to confirm their racial status, comparing and contrasting to existing data to verify the results and to localise their lineage. The data collected was also analysed for unusual results in both STR and mtDNA output. The results indicated that the individuals were in fact of Arabic descent, with very close matching to published Iraqi and Kuwaiti STR frequency population data. Furthermore, analysis of the mtDNA further confirmed likely Arabic status and location of origin in the Middle East. Analysis also determined that there was one unusual result for the D19S433 locus where a particularly lengthy allele was discovered in one allele. This allele had been previously reported and was not present in any other individuals in the sample group. Two of the single nucleotide mismatches in the mtDNA sequence appeared to be unique to the individual and were not definitive mutations for any known haplogroup; these may be truly unique or symptomatic of an undiscovered haplogroup or sub-clade. These results indicate that use of STR frequency is more accurate in determining lineage in small groups, whereas it is likely that in large groups mtDNA may be more useful due to its internal self-referencing in family groups, lower cost and timescale.

STR, mtDNA, HVR, Saudi Arabia

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