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. 2021 Jun 17;11(1):12748.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-92314-9.

X-chromosomal STR based genetic polymorphisms and demographic history of Sri Lankan ethnicities and their relationship with global populations

Nandika Perera  1   2 , Gayani Galhena  3 , Gaya Ranawaka  2
Affiliations

X-chromosomal STR based genetic polymorphisms and demographic history of Sri Lankan ethnicities and their relationship with global populations

Nandika Perera et al. Sci Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

A new 16 X-short tandem repeat (STR) multiplex PCR system has recently been developed for Sr Lankans, though its applicability in evolutionary genetics and forensic investigations has not been thoroughly assessed. In this study, 838 unrelated individuals covering all four major ethnic groups (Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils and Moors) in Sri Lanka were successfully genotyped using this new multiplex system. The results indicated a high forensic efficiency for the tested loci in all four ethnicities confirming its suitability for forensic applications of Sri Lankans. Allele frequency distribution of Indian Tamils showed subtle but statistically significant differences from those of Sinhalese and Moors, in contrast to frequency distributions previously reported for autosomal STR alleles. This suggest a sex biased demographic history among Sri Lankans requiring a separate X-STR allele frequency database for Indian Tamils. Substantial differences observed in the patterns of LD among the four groups demand the use of a separate haplotype frequency databases for each individual ethnicity. When analysed together with other 14 world populations, all Sri Lankan ethnicities except Indian Tamils clustered closely with populations from Indian Bhil tribe, Bangladesh and Europe reflecting their shared Indo-Aryan ancestry.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The ideogram of the X-chromosome describing the genetic positions of the 16 X-STR markers and their physical location. Distances from the p-telomere are shown in both cM and Mb. The order and approximate position of STRs are based upon ChrX-STR.org 2.0 database (http://www.chrx-str.org).
Figure 2
Figure 2
UPGMA phylogram for the four Sri Lankan ethnicities based on 16 X-STR data. The branch lengths are in the same units as those of the evolutionary distances used to infer the phylogenetic tree.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Two-dimensional MDS plot drawn from pairwise Fst values averaged over eight X-STR loci.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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