Allele frequencies of the new European Standard Set (ESS) loci in a population of Apulia (Southern Italy).

Allele frequencies of five miniSTRs loci (D1S1656, D2S441, D12S391, D10S1248 and D22S1045) included in the new European Standard Set (ESS) were calculated from a sample of 150 unrelated individuals from Apulia, a Region of Southern Italy. Two different PCR Amplification Kits were used, in order to evaluate the concordance of the genotypes. The results obtained with the two kits showed no differences in all genotype profiles. No deviation from Hardy-Weinberg expectations was detected at either locus. Moreover genetic analysis using Fst estimation showed no evidence for differentiation at the five new loci between Apulia and Italian populations. The high levels of polymorphisms of the analyzed markers in the Apulian population allow to confirm that these markers are useful tools in paternity and forensic analysis from degraded DNA samples.