Genetic variation and forensic efficiency of 30 indels for three ethnic groups in Guangxi: relationships with other populations

Aim In this study, we used a series of diallelic genetic marker insertion/deletion polymorphism (indel) to investigate three populations of Yao, Kelao, and Zhuang groups in the Guangxi region of China and to evaluate their efficiency in forensic application. Result No deviations for all 30 loci were observed from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni correction ( p > 0.05/30 = 0.0017). The allele frequencies of the short allele (DIP-) for the above three populations were in the range of 0.0520–0.9480, 0.0950–0.8780, and 0.0850–0.915, respectively. The observed heterozygosity of the 30 loci for the three populations was in the ranges 0.0802–0.5802, 0.1908–0.6053, and 0.1400–0.5600, respectively. The cumulative power of exclusion and combined discrimination power for Yao, Kelao, and Zhuang groups were (0.9843 and 0.433), (0.9972 and 0.184), and (0.9845 and 0.608), respectively. The DA distance, principal component analysis, and cluster analysis indicated a clear regional distribution. In addition, Zhuang groups had close genetic relationships with the Yao and Kelao populations in the Guangxi region. Conclusion This study indicated that the 30 loci were qualified for personal identification; moreover, they could be used as complementary genetic markers for paternity testing in forensic cases for the studied populations.