Genetic analyses in five Western Mediterranean populations: Variation at five tetrameric short tandem repeat loci

A population study of the Balearic (Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Chueta) and Va lencia populations was carried out using the short tandem repeat loci HUMTH 01, D4S243, HUMFI3A1, D18S535, and D12S391. All the populations sampled wer e found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the five markers analyzed. Several statistical analyses showed a clear displacement of the Chueta and Ibiza populations from the other populations sampled. These results are in agreement with those obtained from the analysis of classical markers and mi tochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms, as well as with the history of these populations. A comparative study performed with other European populations using three of the five markers selected for this stud y (HUMTH01, HUMFI3A1, and D12S391) revealed a clear differentiation only of the Chueta population. We detected a tendency for a west-east clinal distr ibution in the frequency of the HUMTH01*6 allele in the European and Medite rranean area. This distribution could reflect some of the migratory events that have happened throughout that area's history. The forensic usefulness of these markers can be judged by their highly combined power of discrimina tion (0.999997).