The STR-based genetic profile of the population from Corsica island (France)

Short tandem repeats (STR) at loci HumFES/FPS, HumVWA, HumCSF1PO, HumTH01, HumFXIIIA01, HumTPOX, HumCD4, D3S1358 are markers of choice for population genetics and validated systems for forensic use. In this report, we analysed their allele frequency distribution in a sample of native blood donors from the two departments of Corsica island (France). Deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg rule and heterozygosity values consistently suggested a spatial differentiation of allele and genotype frequencies across the island. Pairwise comparisons showed that Corsican gene pool presents a high level of heterogeneity between departments and substantially differs from that of neighbouring and historically-related populations. The results suggest the use of local databases to calculate a priori statistics in human identity testing. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.