Assessment of phylogenetic structure of Berber-speaking population of Azrou using 15 STRs of Identifiler kit

Allele frequencies for 15 STR autosomal loci of Identifiler kit (D8S1179, D21S11, D7S820, CSF1PO, D3S1358, TH01, D13S317, D16S539, D2S1338, D19S433, vWA, TPOX, D18S51, D5S818 and FGA) in the Moroccan population of Berber-speaking of Azrou, were assessed from a sample of 201 unrelated individuals. Markers D18S51, D2S1338, FGA and D21S11 present the highest power of discrimination (PD) values while D21S11 was the most polymorphic locus in the studied population. The phylogenetic tree established among worldwide populations, shows that Berber-speaking population of Azrou was so close to the Berber-speaking population of Asni but also to the Arab-speaking population of southern Morocco. Nevertheless, a significant distance was observed between populations of Azrou and Bouhria even they share the same dialect (Amazigh) and belong to the same geographical area (Morocco). The 15 STR loci studied appear to be highly discriminating, thus providing a powerful tool for forensic applications, paternity investigation, individual identification and anthropological studies.