Analysis of 27 Y-chromosomal STR loci of the Mestizo Peruvian population

Abstract Background Y-chromosome-specific short tandem repeat markers reside on the non-recombinant portion of the Y chromosome and are paternally inherited. These properties make Y-STRs a useful tool in investigations of sexual assault and other violent crimes, paternity cases, genealogical testing, and evolutionary studies. Native populations reside in the Peruvian coast, mountains, and jungle; however, the Mestizos are the largest population group in Peru. Results Of the 290 samples, 283 distinct haplotypes were observed. Gene diversities for each Y-STR marker ranged from 0.4271 to 0.8597. The haplotype diversity for the total sample was 0.9964. Conclusions Genetic affinity was identified between the Peruvian Mestizo population and other Peruvian populations (except Jivaro, Awajun, and Shipibo-Conibo populations) and Bolivian Mestizo populations using multidimensional scaling and phylogenetic tree analysis