Population genetic data of 15 tetrameric short tandem repeats (STRs) in Berbers from Morocco

The allele frequency distribution of 15 short tandem repeats (STR) loci contained in the AmpF/STR Identifiler (TM) PCR Amplification Kit (Applied Biosystems), was determined in two Berber populations from Asni and Bouhria, in Central and Eastern Morocco, respectively. A total of 209 individuals were typed. No deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed for Asm at the 15 STRs loci whereas for the Bouhria samples, two loci (D5S818 and THO I) showed significant departures from Hardy-Weinberg expectations (after Bonferroni's correction). All loci are highly polymorphic and population differentiation tests showed that the Moroccan samples from Asm and Bouhria have significant differences in 4 out of 15 loci (D21S11, D7S820, D16S539 and TPOX). The aim of the study was to obtain accurate allele frequencies relevant for forensic applications. Comparative analyses between our population data and other population samples gathered from the literature are also presented. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.