Genetic polymorphism of 24 short tandem repeats in the population of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Abstract Background Ethiopia is renowned for its pivotal role in the origin and evolution of humanity, with its rich hominid fossil records and unique geological features offering critical insights into early human development. However, genetic studies focusing on the structure and forensic characteristics of the Addis Ababa population in Ethiopia (AAE) remain sparse. Results A total of 378 short tandem repeat (STR) alleles were observed in 605 unrelated individuals from the AAE, with allelic frequencies ranging from 0.0008 to 0.4678. All loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The SE33 locus exhibited the highest power of discrimination (PD = 0.993), while D22S1045 showed the lowest PD (0.86623). The combined power of discrimination (> 0.999999999), combined power of exclusion (> 0.999999999), and combined match probability (3.33707 × 10 − 19 ) of 24 STR loci, suggest that they are highly polymorphic and suitable for forensic individual identification and paternity testing. Furthermore, population genetic analysis revealed that the AAE had a closer relationship with African populations and affected by West Eurasian migration as well. Conclusions Our findings showed that the 24 STR loci panel possessed high polymorphism, which could serve as a reference STR database for forensic applications and population genetics study for the AAE population.