Effectiveness of Coupled Application of AmpFℓSTR Yfiler Kit and Reduced Size Y‐chromosomal Short Tandem Repeat Analysis for Archeological Human Bones

The A mpFℓ STR Y filer PCR A mplification ( Y filer) kit continues to be improved for a better analytical efficiency in cases of highly degraded DNA . The authors endeavored to determine whether coupling of the Y filer kit with supplemental multiplex amplification of some Y ‐ STR loci is a more efficient analytical mode for poorly preserved human femurs ( n = 15) discovered at K orean archeological sites. To reveal locus profiles not easily obtained by Y filer analysis, custom‐designed primers were adopted for the DYS 390, DYS 391, DYS 392, DYS 438, DYS 439, and DYS 635 loci. The success rate for 16 Y ‐ STR locus profiles obtained from the 15 femurs was improved from 18.33% (in the use of Y filer kit only) to 49.17% (the coupled use of Y filer and custom‐designed primers). In this study, the authors established that the custom‐designed primers offer a markedly improved success rate for obtainment of Y ‐ STR profiles from degraded aDNA not easily identified by sole use of the Y filer assay.