Sequence variation of a hypervariable short tandem repeat at the D1S1656 locus.

A short tandem repeat at the D1S1656 locus was sequenced in 45 selected alleles and 13 different alleles were found which were designated according to the total number of repeats. This STR is a compound hypervariable STR consisting of blocks of (TAGR) repeats with a basic sequence structure (TAGA)4(TGA)0-1(TAGA)6-16(TAGG)0-1(TG)5. The presence of a TGA, probably due to an A deletion in the fifth TAGA repeat leads to intermediate a.3 alleles. Population data showed that this is a highly polymorphic STR with a heterozygosity of more than 0.89. This fact together with its simple structure and small size (129-168 bp) makes this STR one of the most interesting DNA polymorphisms for forensic and genetic purposes.