Fourteen non-CODIS autosomal short tandem repeat loci multiplex data from Taiwanese

Interest in the development of polymorphic short tandem repeat (STR) markers unlinked to the CODIS loci is growing among forensic practitioners. We developed a multiplex system in which14 autosomal STR (D3S1744, D4S2366, D8S1110, D12S1090, D13S765, D14S608, Penta E, D17S1294, D18S536, D18S1270, D20S470, D21S1437, Penta D, and D22S683) could be amplified in one single polymerase chain reaction. DNA samples from 572 unrelated Taiwanese Han subjects were analyzed using this 14 STR multiplex system. Thirty parent-child pairs of parentage testing cases with a combined paternity index (CPI) below 1,000 and 32 parent-child pairs with singlestep mutations found in AmpF :STR Identifiler loci were also recruited for validation of the newly developed system. DNA sequencing was performed for novel STRs and novel alleles found in these subjects. The distributions of allelic frequencies for these autosomal STRs and sequence data, allele nomenclature for the STRs, and forensic parameters are presented. The discrimination power in our multiplex loci ranged from 0.6858 (D18S536) to 0.9168 (Penta E), with a combined discrimination power of 0.999999999. It provides additional power to distinguish the possible single-step mutations in parent-child pairs and improves the ability to prove parentage by increasing the CPI. The combined power of exclusion of these 14 loci in Taiwanese Han in this study was 0.9999995913. In conclusion, this 14-autosomal STRs multiplex system provides highly informative STR data and appears useful in forensic casework and parentage testing.