Which short tandem repeat polymorphisms are required for identification? Lessons from complicated kinship cases.

This paper presents 5 examples of complicated deficient parentage cases, which were sufficiently resolved by extensive DNA typing using short tandem repeat (STR) and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). The latter have greatly contributed to the solution of deficiency cases, although their application is only feasible, if high molecular weight DNA and time are in abundance. This apart, RFLP technique is available in a few laboratories only, and its extinction can be expected in medium term. This development will pose a problem unless more highly polymorphic STR systems are at the service of forensic genetic laboratories. The required "new" additional STR polymorphisms must be able to fully replace RFLPs in terms of their respective information content. STR loci of this quality are e.g. ACTBP2 (SE33), D5S2360, and gonosomal loci. Moreover, the newly introduced STR kit "Humantype Chimera" is considered valuable from this point of view.