Forensic characteristics and genetic substructure analysis of the Handan Han population, Northern China.

We analysed the forensic characteristics and substructure of the Handan Han population based on 36 Y-STR (short tandem repeat) and Y-SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) markers. The two most dominant haplogroups in Handan Han, O2a2b1a1a1-F8 (17.95%) and O2a2b1a2a1a (21.51%), and their abundant downstream branches, reflected the strong expansion of the precursor of the Hans in Handan. The present results enrich the forensic database and explore the genetic relationships between Handan Han and other neighbouring and/or linguistically close populations, which suggests that the current concise overview of the Han intricate substructure remains oversimplified.

Dual origins of the Northwest Chinese Kyrgyz: the admixture of Bronze age Siberian and Medieval Niru'un Mongolian Y chromosomes.

The Kyrgyz are a trans-border ethnic group, mainly living in Kyrgyzstan. Previous genetic investigations of Central Asian populations have repeatedly investigated the Central Asian Kyrgyz. However, from the standpoint of human evolution and genetic diversity, Northwest Chinese Kyrgyz is one of the more poorly studied populations. In this study, we analyzed the non-recombining portion of the Y-chromosome from 298 male Kyrgyz samples from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, using a high-resolution analysis of 108 biallelic markers and 17 or 24 STRs. First, via a Y-SNP-based PCA plot, Northwest Chinese Kyrgyz tended to cluster with other Kyrgyz population and are located in the West Asian and Central Asian group. Second, we found that the Northwest Chinese Kyrgyz display a high proportion of Y-lineage R1a1a1b2a2a-Z2125, related to Bronze Age Siberian, and followed by Y-lineage C2b1a3a1-F3796, related to Medieval Niru'un Mongols, such as Uissun tribe from Kazakhs. In these two dominant lineages, two unique recent descent clusters have been detected via NETWORK analysis, respectively, but they have nearly the same TMRCA ages (about 13th-14th centuries). This finding once again shows that the expansions of Mongol Empire had a striking effect on the Central Asian gene pool.

Y-chromosome evidence confirmed the Kerei-Abakh origin of Aksay Kazakhs.

Aksay Kazakhs are the easternmost branch of Kazakhs, residing in Jiuquan city, the forefront of the ancient Silk Road. However, the genetic diversity of Aksay Kazakhs and its relationships with other Kazakhs still lack attention. To clarify this issue, we analyzed the non-recombining portion of the Y-chromosome from 93 Aksay Kazakhs samples, using a high-resolution analysis of 106 biallelic markers and 17 STRs. The lowest haplogroup diversity (0.38) was observed in Aksay Kazakhs among all studied Kazakh populations. The social and cultural traditions of the Kazakhs shaped their current pattern of genetic variation. Aksay Kazakhs tended to migrate with clans and had limited paternal admixture with neighboring populations. Aksay Kazakhs had the highest frequency (80%) of haplogroup C2b1a3a1-F3796 (previous C3*-Star Cluster) among the investigated Eurasian steppe populations, which was now seen as the genetic marker of Kerei clan. Furthermore, NETWORK analysis indicated that Aksay Kazakhs originated from sub-clan Kerei-Abakh in Kazakhstan with DYS448 = 23. TMRCA estimates of three recent descent clusters detected in C2*-M217 (xM48) network, one of which incorporate nearly all of the C2b1a3a1-F3796 Aksay Kazakhs samples, gave the age range of 976-1405 YA for DC1, 1059-1314 YA for DC2, and 1139-1317 YA for DC3, respectively; this is coherent with the 7th to the 11th centuries Altaic-speaking pastoral nomadic population expansion.

Haplotype analysis of 36 Y-STR loci in a Chinese Han population from Anhui Province, Eastern China.

We analyzed haplotypes for 36 Y chromosomal STRs (Y-STRs), including 27 Yfiler Plus loci and 9 additional STRs (DYS549, DYS643, DYS508, DYS447, DYS596, DYS444, DYS557, and DYS527a/b) in 2018 unrelated Chinese Han individuals from Anhui Province using DNATyperTM 36Y Kit. Phylogenetic analysis was performed to determine the genetic relationship of the Anhui Han population with other neighboring and/or linguistically close populations.

Paternal heritage of the Han Chinese in Henan province (Central China): high diversity and evidence of in situ Neolithic expansions.

Background: Due to their long history, complex admixture processes and large population sizes, more research is required to explore the fine genetic structure of Han populations from different geographic locations of China.Aim: To characterise the paternal genetic structure of the Han Chinese in Henan province, which was once the central living region of the ancient Huaxia population, the precursors of the Han Chinese.Subjects and methods: We sequenced Y chromosomes of 60 males from Zhengzhou, Henan Province, and reconstructed a phylogenetic tree for these samples with age estimation.Results: We observed high diversity of paternal lineages in our collection. We found that the in situ Neolithic expansion of the "Major lineages" contributed to a large portion of the paternal gene pool of the Han population in Henan Province. We also detected a large number of "Minor lineages" that diverged in the Palaeolithic Age.Conclusion: We suggest that the high genetic diversity in the paternal gene pool of modern Han populations is mainly attributed to the reservation of a larger number of lineages that diverged in the Palaeolithic Age, while the recent expansion of limited lineages contributed to the majority of the gene pool of modern Han populations. We propose that such a structure is a basal characteristic for the genetic structure of modern Han populations.

Relating Clans Ao and Aisin Gioro from northeast China by whole Y-chromosome sequencing.

The Y-chromosome haplogroup C2b1a3a2-F8951 is the paternal lineage of the Aisin Gioro clan, the most important brother branch of the famous Mongolic-speaking population characteristic haplogroup C2*-Star Cluster (C2b1a3a1-F3796). However, investigations on its internal phylogeny are still limited. In this study, we used whole Y-chromosome sequencing to update its phylogenetic tree. In the revised tree, C2b1a3a2-F8951 and C2*-Star Cluster differentiated 3852 years ago (95% CI = 3295-4497). Approximately 3558 years ago (95% CI = 3013-4144), C2b1a3a2-F8951 was divided into two main subclades, C2b1a3a2a-F14753 and C2b1a3a2b-F5483. Currently, samples of C2b1a3a2-F8951 were mainly from the House of Aisin Gioro clan, the Ao family from Daur and some individuals mainly from northeast China. Although other haplogroups are also found in the Ao family, including C2b1a2-M48, C2b1a3a1-F3796, C2a1b-F845, and N1c-M178, the haplogroup C2b1a3a2-F8951 is still the most distinct genetic component. For haplogroup C2b1a3a2-F8951, the time of the most recent common ancestor of the House of Aisin Gioro clan and the Ao family were both very late, just a few hundred years ago. Some family-specific Y-SNPs of the House of Aisin Gioro and the Ao family were also discovered. This revision evidently improved the resolving power of Y-chromosome phylogeny in northeast Asia, deepening our understanding of the origin of these two families, even the Mongolic-speaking population.

Molecular genealogy of Tusi Lu's family reveals their paternal relationship with Jochi, Genghis Khan's eldest son.

Genghis Khan's lineage has attracted both academic and general interest because of its mystery and large influence. However, the truth behind the mystery is complicated and continues to confound the scientific study. In this study, we surveyed the molecular genealogy of Northwestern China's Lu clan who claim to be the descendants of the sixth son of Genghis Khan, Toghan. We also investigated living members of the Huo and Tuo clans, who, according to oral tradition, were close male relatives of Lu clan. Using network analysis, we found that the Y-chromosomal haplotypes of Lu clan mainly belong to haplogroup C2b1a1b1-F1756, widely prevalent in Altaic-speaking populations, and are closely related to the Tore clan from Kazakhstan, who claim to be the descendants of the first son of Genghis Khan, Jochi. The most recent common ancestor of the special haplotype cluster that includes the Lu clan and Tore clan lived about 1000 years ago (YA), while the Huo and Tuo clans do not share any Y lineages with the Lu clan. In addition to the reported lineages, such as C3*-Star Cluster, R1b-M343, and Q, our results indicate that haplogroup C2b1a1b1-F1756 might be another candidate of the true Y lineage of Genghis Khan.

[Application of Multiple Genetic Markers in a Case of Determination of Half Sibling].

OBJECTIVE: A case of half sibling was determined with multiple genetic markers, which could be potentially applied for determination of half sibling relationship from same father. METHODS: Half sibling relationship was detected by 39 autosomal STR genetic markers, 23 Y-chromosomal STR genetic markers and 12 X -chromosomal STR genetic markers among ZHAO -1, ZHAO -2, ZHAO -3, ZHAO -4, and ZHAO-5. RESULTS: According to autosomal STR, Y-STR and X-STR genotyping results, it was determined that ZHAO-4 (alleged half sibling) was unrelated with ZHAO-1 and ZHAO-2; however, ZHAO-3 (alleged half sibling), ZHAO-5 (alleged half sibling) shared same genetic profile with ZHAO-1, and ZHAO-2 from same father. CONCLUSION: It is reliable to use multiple genetic markers and family gene reconstruction to determine half sibling relationship from same father, but it is difficult to determination by calculating half sibling index with ITO and discriminant functions.

[Establishment and Verification of 6-color Fluorescent-labeled Rapid PCR Amplification System].

OBJECTIVE: To establish the rapid PCR amplification program and system and to verify the technical indexes. METHODS: PCR multiplex and capillary electrophoresis detection of 24 autosomal STR loci and one Y-STR loci using the 6-color fluorescence marking technology, as well as A melogenin and Y-InDel. Meanwhile, sensitivity, specificity, identity, stability, mixing and a batch of sample tests were investigated, and the genotype of various routine samples and degraded, exfoliated cell samples were observed. RESULTS: The sensitivity of the system was 0.062 5 ng. In addition, the genotype could be detected accurately only around 65 min via rapid amplification. The species-specificity was high and the genotyping of all kinds of dry blood specimens of filter paper and mixed, degraded, exfoliated cell samples were accurate. CONCLUSION: The rapid amplification system can significantly improve the detection rate, and obtain accurate and stable genotyping results, which may be important implications for the establishment of STR database and study on population genetics and forensic identification.

Forensic discrimination of three common brands of kitchen knives in China by ICP-AES and infrared absorption.

A block of an injury instrument will be left in wounds sometimes, and the suspect instrument can be discriminated by comparison with the block that was left through elemental analysis. In this study, three brands (Shibazi, Zhangxiaoquan, Qiaoxifu) of kitchen knives with forged, chop, and slice application series were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and Infrared Absorption to investigate the type, number of elements and the reference range used for comparing. The results show that when regarding one or more element as the discriminative threshold, together with 5% relative standard deviation (RSD) as the reference range, all the samples could be distinguished among different series. Furthermore, within the same series, the discriminative capability could reach up to 88.57% for all samples. In addition, elements with high content, such as Cr, Mn, and C, were useful to discriminate among different series, and trace elements, such as Ni, Si, and Cu, were useful within the same series. However, in practice, it is necessary to evaluate the accuracy of the method by Standard Reference Material (SRM) before an examination is performed.

[Genetic polymorphism and forensic application of 30 InDel loci of Han population in Beijing].

To study the genetic diversities of 30 insertion-deletion (InDel) polymorphisms loci of Han population in Beijing, and to evaluate their forensic application, 210 unrelated healthy individuals of Han population in Beijing were investigated to determine the distributions of allele frequencies by using Investigator DIP system. The PCR products were detected with ABI 3130 XL Genetic Analyzer. Forensic parameters were calculated with relevant statistical analysis software. As a result, after the Bonferroni correction at a 95% significance level, there were no significant departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or significant linkage disequilibrium between the loci. The power of discrimination (DP) varies between 0.2690 (HLD118) and 0.6330 (HLD45), and the combined discrimination power (TDP) for the 30 InDel loci is 0.999999999985. The combined power of exclusion was 0.98771049 in trio cases (CPE(trio)) and 0.94579456 in duo cases (CPE(duo)). The parentage testing of 32 cases revealed no mutations happened to 30 InDel loci. Multiplex detection of the 30 InDel loci revealed a highly polymorphic genetic distribution in Beijing Han population, which represents a complementary tool in human identification studies, especially in challenging DNA cases.

[A population genetic study of 22 autosomal loci of single nucleotide polymorphisms].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate polymorphisms and forensic efficiency of 22 non-binary single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci. METHODS: One hundred ethnic Han Chinese individuals were recruited from Dongguan, Guangdong. The 22 loci were genotyped with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). RESULTS: Nine loci were found with a single allele, 4 loci were found to be biallelic, whilst 9 loci were found to have 3 alleles. For 13 polymorphic loci, the combined discrimination power and power of exclusion were 0.999 98 and 0.9330, respectively. For the 9 non-biallelic loci, the combined discrimination power and power of exclusion were 0.9998 and 0.8956, respectively. For motherless cases, the combined power of exclusion was 0.6405 for 13 polymorphic SNPs and 0.6405 for 9 non-binary SNPs. CONCLUSION: Non-binary loci have a greater discrimination power and exclusion power per SNP.

[Polymorphism of 17 Y-STR loci in She ethnic population in Fujian and genetic relationship with 11 populations].

To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 17 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats(Y-STR) loci in She ethnic population from Fujian province, and to evaluate their forensic application values and genetic relationship with other 11 populations, 152 unrelated male individuals of She ethnic population in Fujian were used to determine the distribution of allele frequencies and haplotypes by using Y-filerTM System. Cluster analysis and phylogenic trees were applied to show the genetic distance among the populations. As a result, 50 haplotypes were found in DYS385a/b loci, and 3～11 alleles were found in the rest 15 Y-STR loci. The GD value was from 0.4037(DYS391) to 0. 9725(DYS385a/b). This study has also revealed "off-ladder" alleles at several Y-loci, namely DYS448, DYS393, DYS458 and DYS635, and several occurrences of duplications at the DYS385a/b, DYS19 and DYS390 loci. One hundred and forty-four haplotypes were found in 17 Y-STR loci, of which 138 were unique, 5 were found in 2 individuals, 1 was found in 4 individuals, and the observed haplotypes diversity value was 0.9990. Comparing with 11 populations, the genetic distance between She ethnic and Han population in Zhejiang was the smallest (0.0042), while it was the largest between She ethnic and Tibet ethnic population (0.2380). Cluster analysis and phylogenetic tree both demonstrated that genetic distance between She ethnic and several south Han populations is closer than between She ethnic and non-Han populations. Multiplex detection of the 17 Y-STR loci revealed a highly polymorphic genetic distribution, which would be very powerful for establishing a Y-STR database, for population genetics and forensic practice.

Whole mitochondrial genome analysis of the Daur ethnic minority from Hulunbuir in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China.

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations are often associated with bioenergetics, disease, and speciation and can be used to track the history of women. Although advances in massively parallel sequencing (MPS) technology have greatly promoted our understanding of the population's history (especially genome-wide data and whole Y chromosome sequencing), the whole mtDNA sequence of many important groups has not been fully studied. In this study, we employed whole mitogenomes of 209 healthy and unrelated individuals from the Daur group, a Mongolic-speaking representative population of the indigenous groups in the Heilongjiang River basin (also known as the Amur River basin). RESULTS: The dataset presented 127 distinct mtDNA haplotypes, resulting in a haplotype diversity of 0.9933. Most of haplotypes were assigned to eastern Eurasian-specific lineages, such as D4 (19.62%), B4 (9.09%), D5 (7.66%) and M7 (4.78%). Population comparisons showed that the Daurians do have certain connections with the ancient populations in the Heilongjiang River basin but the matrilineal genetic composition of the Daur group was also greatly influenced by other non-Mongolic groups from neighboring areas. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, the whole mtDNA data generated in the present study will augment the existing mtDNA database. Our study provides genetic links between the Daur population and the aborigine peoples from Siberia and the Amur-Ussuri Region. But on the whole, compared with other Mongolic-speaking groups, the modern Daur population is closer to the East Asian ancestry group.

Forensic application of a novel MPS-based panel (90 STRs and 100 SNPs) in a non-exclusion parentage case with three autosomal STRs incompatibilities.

In kinship tests, the investigating of the forensic STRs usually provides decisive information to resolve relationship cases. We describe a parentage case with 3 genetic incompatibilities (D6S1043, D18S51 and D2S1338) between the child and alleged parent. With 90 STR loci and 100 SNP loci, the massively parallel sequencing (MPS)-based genotyping results support the certainty of parentage, and the mismatched alleles were considered to be mutations. MPS can provide additional allele sequence structures that can be used to infer the origins of the mutations. SNPs as supplementary markers can provide effective information to give an unequivocal statement of the parentage.

[Polymorphism of 17 Y-STR loci in Shanxi Han population and genetic relationship with 13 populations].

To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 17 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STR) loci in Shanxi Han population and to explore their forensic application values and genetic relationship with neighboring populations, 17 Y-STR in 222 unrelated healthy Shanxi Han individuals were amplified with Y-filerTM System, and the PCR products were detected with 3130 Genetic Aanalyzer. The allele frequencies and haplotype diversity were calculated. Y-STR data of another 13 populations were collected from publications. Cluster analysis and phylogenic trees were applied to show the genetic distance among the populations. As a result, a total of 219 haplotypes were identified, and the observed haplotypes diversity value was 0.9999. The gene diversity values (GD) for each locus ranged from 0.3894 (DYS391) to 0.9755 (DYS385a/b). Comparing with 13 populations, the genetic distance between Shanxi and Jihei Han populations was the smallest (0.0001), while the genetic distance between Shanxi and Taiwan population was the largest (0.0152). The phylogenetic tree was similar to the results of clustering analysis. Multiplex detection of the 17 Y-STR loci revealed a highly polymorphic genetic distribution, which would be very powerful for establishing a Y-STR database, for population genetics and forensic practice.

27 Y-chromosomal STR haplotypic structure for the Chinese Han population from Changchun, Northeastern China.

Y- Changchun is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province in the northeast China. In this study, we genotyped and investigated haplotypes of 27 Y-STR loci in 1037 Changchun Han male individuals using commercially available AmpFlSTR Yfiler® Plus kit. We calculated the Gene diversity (GD) values and haplotype diversity (HD) as important forensic parameters. Furthermore, we observed genetic affinities between Changchun Han with other Northern Han Chinese populations and also Korans in Yanbian in the Multidimensional scaling and phylogenetic tree analysis.

[Genetic polymorphism of 6 short tandem repeat loci in Chinese Han population in Shanxi].

OBJECTIVE: To obtain the polymorphism data of six short tandem repeat (STR) loci, i.e. D9S925, D11S2368, D14S608, D15S659, D17S1290 and D20S470, in Chinese Han population in Shanxi province, and to evaluate the usefulness of the polymorphism data in forensic science. METHODS: The D9S925, D11S2368, D14S608, D17S1290 and D20S470 primers were synthesized according to GenBank, while the D15S659 primers were self-designed. These primers were used to amplify DNA from 194 unrelated individuals collected from Shanxi Han population. Then the amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis in 3130 Genetic Analyzer. GeneMapper3.2 software was used to analyze the results. RESULTS: The distributions of genotypes for the six STR loci were in accordance with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The polymorphism information content (PIC) of the six STR loci were from 0.750 to 0.860, and the heterozygosity ranged from 0.756 to 0.894, and the discrimination power were from 0.920 to 0.965, and the probability of exclusion were from 0.519 to 0.784. The combined probability of exclusion and the combined discrimination power were 0.9988 and 0.99999998, respectively. CONCLUSION: The data indicated that D9S925, D11S2368, D14S608, D15S659, D17S1290 and D20S470 loci have high probability of exclusion and discrimination power. They can be used as genetic markers in forensic test and personal identification.

[The Y-STR polymorphisms and phylogenetic relationships of two minority populations in Liaoning province].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 11 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STR) loci in 484 male individuals from two minority populations, the Hui and Xibe, of Liaoning province, and to evaluate their forensic application values and genetic relationships with other 15 populations of China. METHODS: Eleven Y-STR loci in all samples were amplified with PowerPlex Y System, and the PCR products were analyzed by 310 Genetic Analyzer. Cluster analysis and neighbor-joining tree were applied to show the genetic distance among the populations. RESULTS: In Hui people, 187 haplotypes were identified, and the overall haplotype diversity value was 0.9990. The gene diversity values (GD) for each locus ranged from 0.4783(DYS437) to 0.9679(DYS385a/b); In Xibe people, 237 haplotypes were identified, and the overall haplotype diversity value was 0.9984. The GD value for each locus ranged from 0.3618(DYS391) to 0.9686(DYS385a/b). Comparing with 15 reference populations, the genetic distance between the Hui and Xibe was the nearest (0.0257), and that between the Hui and Yi was the farthest (0.1046), while the genetic distance between Xibe and Korean was also the farthest (0.0978). The NJ tree was similar to the results of clustering analysis and all the 17 populations were clustered into 3 groups. CONCLUSION: The genetic distribution of the 11 Y-STR loci in Liaoning Hui and Xibe ethnic groups showed favorable polymorphisms, therefore are suitable for forensic identification and paternity testing in the local area. The study of haplotype diversity among different populations is useful in understanding their origins, migrations and their relationships.

[Polymorphisms of 11 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeat loci in Chongqing Tujia ethnic group and genetic relationships with 16 populations].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the genetic polymorphisms of 11 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STR) loci in Chongqing Tujia population, and to evaluate their forensic application values and genetic relationships with the other 16 populations of China. METHODS: Eleven Y-STR loci in 215 unrelated Tujia individuals from Chongqing were amplified with PowerPlex Y System, and the PCR products were analyzed by 310 Genetic Analyzer. Cluster analysis and phylogenic trees were applied to show the genetic distance among the populations. RESULTS: A total of 195 haplotypes were identified and the overall haplotypes diversity for the 11 Y-STR loci was 0.9942. The gene diversity values (GD) for each locus ranged from 0.3757 (DYS391) to 0.9170 (DYS385a/b). Comparing with other 16 populations, the genetic distance between Tujia and Tibetan was the nearest (0.02467), that between the Tujia and Korean ethnic groups was the farthest (0.25350). CONCLUSION: The genetic distribution of the 11 Y-STR loci in Chongqing Tujia population showed favorable polymorphisms. They are suitable for forensic identification and paternity testing in the local area. The study of genetic diversity among different populations is useful in understanding their origins, migrations and their relationships.