Genetic variation and population genetic data of the short tandem repeat locus D8S320.

The locus D8S320 is an STR system first described in 1993 as a simple (AAAG) repeat. Sequencing data revealed that the D8S320 locus is a complex STR system consisting of (AAAG)- and (AAAC)-repeat units. A total of 22 different alleles were found in a population survey of 210 unrelated individuals from the Rhine area with frequencies ranging from <0.01 to 0.198. The population data revealed the existence of variant alleles differing by 1 and 2bp from the consensus allele. Due to the complex repeat structure consisting of three variable regions and one constant region, electrophoresis under denaturing conditions is strongly recommended. The statistical values were calculated to be 0.89 (observed heterozygosity rate), 0.96 (discrimination index) and 0.71 (mean exclusion chance). No deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was observed.