Genetic Polymorphisms of 17 Y-chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat Loci in Atayal Population of Taiwan

Aim To define the Y-chromosomal genetic structure in a sample of Atayal men from Taiwan. Methods Buccal swab samples were collected from 170 unrelated healthy male volunteers from Taiwanese aboriginal Atayal population. Genomic DNA was extracted and 17 Y chromosome-specific short tandem repeat loci (DYS456, DYS389I, DYS390, DYS389II, DYS458, DYS19, DYS385a/b, DYS393, DYS391, DYS439, DYS635, DYS392, Y GATA H4, DYS437, DYS438, and DYS448) were analyzed using the AmpFlSTR Yfiler Polymerase Chain Reaction Amplification Kit. Results A total of 99 different haplotypes were identified, 69 (69.7%) of which were unique. Total haplotype diversity was 0.9887. The most common haplotype was shared by 9 individuals in the study sample. Gene diversities ranged from 0.0574 for DYS438 to 0.6749 for DYS456. Conclusion Our results will help provide the molecular genetic evidence for human settlement of the Pacific.