RAPID AND EFFICIENT RESOLUTION OF PARENTAGE BY AMPLIFICATION OF SHORTTANDEM REPEATS

Short tandem repeat (STR) loci are highly informative polymorphic loci that are gaining popularity for identity testing. We have conducted p arentage testing by using nine STR loci on 50 paternity trios that had been previously tested using VNTR loci. These nine unlinked STR loci are amplified in three multiplex reactions and, when examined for gene tic informativeness, provide a combined average power of exclusion of 99.73% (Caucasian data). The informative value of the selected loci is based on extensive STR typing of four racial/ethnic populations. In 3 7 of the 50 cases, paternity could not be excluded by any of the loci. In the remaining 13 cases, paternity was excluded by at least two of the STR markers. The probability of paternity calculated for the alleg ed father of each matching trio was >99% in 36 of the 37 inclusion cas es. All data agreed with the results reported using VNTR loci and conv entional Southern technology. Our studies validate the use of DNA typi ng with STR loci for parentage testing, thus providing an accurate, hi ghly sensitive, and rapid assay.